Path Between the Ages
by DragonEye0905
Summary: Ghirahim has found the Second Gate of Time, and steps through into the future, appearing in the time of Ocarina of Time. Link is meanwhile still on his quest for the Princess Zelda. Mostly takes place in the Ocarina of Time game world, but with characters from Skyward Sword added into the mix.
1. Finding the Path

**A/N: Caution, this story contains spoilers for any and all games involved! ****By the way, this is a story from my ****twisted mind, where I placed Ghirahim (from Skyward Sword) and placed him in the Ocarina of Time game! **

**:D**

**I am totally obsessed with Ghirahim, it's not even funny. I love everything about him, and it makes me want to scream that he's not real and here by my side... :( Anyway... I have taken two (out of the three) of my favorite Zelda games, and merged them into one fabulous fanfic!  
**

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own The Legend of Zelda**

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Never had he ever experienced such humiliation! He, Ghirahim, Demon Lord of the Surface, defeated by a mere child! It was unimaginable. In his rage, he forced his hand against the stone wall of the Fire Sanctuary, which proceeded to explode and crumble into the darkness outside.

Ghirahim calmly composed himself, thinking over what had happened. He knew there was another Spirit Gate, but so did the child. And unlike Ghirahim, the Skychild actually knew where it was. Again, he was caught up in his fury and smashed in another portion of the wall, the decorated surface tumbling out the already large hole.

He would just have to go looking for it. The Skychild would never reveal the location to him. Even if he was tortured to the ends of time, he would still never give in. Ghirahim sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. Racking his brain, he recalled all the ancient temples and caverns that it could be located. Surly the goddess would have hidden it so that her hero would be able to find it, but not easily enough that one such as himself would be able to.

[Where to look... where would _he _go...] the demon lord's eyes snapped open. He knew where it was. It was only a matter of getting there...

He brought up his hand level to his face and snapped. Where the demon lord once stood, a thousand diamonds floated for a few seconds before disappearing.

* * *

Link was running through Hyrule Fields, towards Zora's Domain. Navi, the fairy who followed and helped Link, had said that the third and final Spiritual Stone was located there. As a mere ten year-old, it was up to him to open the Door of Time for Princess Zelda. It was difficult, but he knew he could complete this task. Night was falling, and Link did not want to be in the fields when the Stalchilds came out.

He reached the safety of Zora's River just as the night descended. He climbed the twisting pathways, eventually making it to the waterfall and the Royal Family symbol on the ground. He pulled out his ocarina, and played the lullaby Impa had taught him. The water parted, and he jumped across the gap and entered Zora's Domain.

* * *

A shower of diamonds appeared only moments before Ghirahim did. He was standing in an ancient temple, it's walls covered with ivy and moss. An old woman in a long robe and pointed hat gasped at the sight of him.

"Tell me wench, where is the second gate?" he sneered at the elderly woman, casting daggers at her with only his eyes. She trembled slightly, but not in fear. She shook her head, as if saying she did not know what he was talking about.

"Don't play that game with me. My patience has reached its end. I know you know of the second Gate of Time." Her eyes flickered to the pedestal in the center of the room, but only for a nanosecond. It was enough. He shoved the woman against the wall, and strutted up towards the platform. When the woman made impact with the stone wall, a loud crack resounded throughout the temple. Ghirahim laughed at her frail body. Humans, how they broke so easily. Snapping his fingers, a black sword appeared in his hand. He started chanting-shouting, really-strings of ancient words, as old as the earth itself (And he was also dancing). The further into his chant he got, the more visible a giant block covered in strange symbols was becoming. Finally, after it was fully visible, he stopped his chant.

He struck the blade against the stone, and it echoed in his ears for many long minutes. After what seemed like an eternity, he stood up, placing his free hand against his hip. Shacking the hair out of his eye-only to have it fall back in place-he continued to stare at it, willing it to open. He turned on his heel, ready to walk away when,

*RUMBLE*

He turned his head, and at what he saw, his jaw dropped as he shifted the rest of his body to face the sight before him. The symbols on the stone were brightening with blinding light. They shifted and turned until they took the form of a giant clock. Much like the one located in Lanayru. He couldn't be sure, but he thought that this one was spinning in the opposite direction than the other. This one was spinning clockwise, but he couldn't remember if the other was as well...

He did not care enough to dwell on the thought. He abruptly danced up to the rotating gate, and stared into it's glossy surface, admiring his fabulous features for a minute before pressing his palm to the surface. There was no force to stop his hand, and he walked into the shimmering gateway, laughing.

He had done it. The skychild would be defeated, and his master revived.

* * *

**A/N: Hmm... what will become of this plot? And why are there so many people that won't review!? Please don't be one of those people, changing the world starts with you...**

**Ghirahim: I thought it started with blood.  
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**Me: No one wants to hear you rant on about the deliciousness of blood...  
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**Ghirahim: They might...  
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**Me: Trust me, they don't.  
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**Ghirahim: ...  
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**Anyway, ignore the author arguing with her own story behind the monitor!**


	2. Misplaced Times

**A/N: Welcome all who read the first chapter and thought it was good enough to continue on! I hope that you press the button on the bottom of this page! You know the one...**

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The young hero stared in amazement of the vast cave he stood in. There was another waterfall coming out of a small hole in the wall, where behind it, there was another small alcove. The main floor was really a crystal blue pool of pure water. There were upraised stone paths that stood above the pool, and it spit off into two directions. One way to stairs carved out of the cavern wall. The other did lead to a solid floor that turned around a large pillar that reached from the bottom of the cave to the top.

He rushed up the stairs, giving out quick greetings to the fish-men, known as Zora's, that he passed by. Out of breath, climbed the last, small set of stairs set in front of the throne of King Zora. He tried to speak, but could only pant at the moment.

"Hmm? And who is this young child before me?" The fat fish spoke in his nasally voice.

"My name... Is Link... I have come to... save your daughter, Ruto." He was only able to say a few words at a time, for those stairs were really long and steep.

"My daughter?" the king started, "she is in no need of saving, why would a boy like yourself ever think that?" the stubborn king finished his statement, seeming to shift a little to the right.

"I found this, in Lake Hylia." Link held up a scrap of paper that Ruto herself wrote, calling out for help from anyone who found her note.

"So she was swallowed up by Jabu-Jabu, eh? Well, I guess I must let you help her. Please do not fail to rescue my beloved fish-child." At the end of his speech, the king ever-so slowly, painfully slowly,** AGONIZINGLY** **SLOWLY**, scooted away from the tunnel behind him that led to Zora's Fountain. Link nodded his head in thanks and ran on through the tunnel.

* * *

All he knew was light. Eternal and blinding, it surrounded him with its brilliant glory, choked him, blinded his eyes, and deafened his ears. It was insanely horrifying and amazing. Finally, it resided. The darkness was no better, except it did not feel like an eternity as the light did.

Gingerly he, found his way through the endless blackness, and found an opening in the side of a cold wall. He was standing in a courtyard, softly lighted by the glow of a full moon. In the distance, a large castle towered over a garden that stretched out for what seemed like miles.

Strange, this was not the past he remembered... but perhaps it had been too long since he last laid eyes on this time.

Ghirahim snapped his fingers, envisioning the exact location he would like to be, but nothing happened. Again, he tried snapping his fingers to teleport himself. And again, nothing.

He turned to look at the temple he had come out of, and knew that he was not in the right time. It was made of a grayish brown stone, with indentations in the front wall. Above the archway inside, there was a design of three triangles, stacked on top of one another to form one whole triangle. Ghirahim fumed, this was definitely not where he was supposed to be.

[Blasted old woman! She and the other servants of the goddess tricked me! When I get my hands on the skychild...] he raged on silently in his mind. Before long though, he had calmed down enough to think coherent thoughts again. Looking over at the palace, an idea formed in his head.

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**A/N: So. I know this one is kinda short (or REALLY short) but tell me what you think! Because guys, (and gals) I am totally in the dark when it comes to viewer's opinions if no one reviews!It would make this author very happy if you did! :D  
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**And did anyone else feel the same way about the stupid Zora King!? I mean, I WHY DOES HE MOVE SO SLOWLY!? After he's about half-way done, you have plenty of room to get past him, but NO! He must continue so scoot away, and you can't even skip it! Unlike in some of the other games... Anyway, I love how Ruto proposes to you. She is just so spunky! Gotta love the fish princess!  
**


	3. Servant Returned

**A/N: Attention all! There is a OC is this chapter, and I hope you like him! ;D But, anyway... I hope you stick with this until the end! And though I'm only saying that on the third chapter, I have plans for this baby! **

**Enjoy!  
**

* * *

Maiten was a guard at the palace. His pay was good, he guessed. The hours were long, and rarely did anyone bother him about coming into the Royal Gardens without supervision. Except for the one forest child, the people knew not to sneak into the palace grounds.

He was startled out of his light slumber when a man dressed in white strutted up to him. This man was wearing very strange clothes, unlike any Maiten had ever seen before. His face was decorated with thick, deep purple eyeliner, and a black diamond partially covered by his white hair. He had a equally strange red cape to go along with everything else.

"Hey, you can't be back here without permission from the royal family."

"Mm, I think I can." the stranger hummed. He snapped his fingers, and a black blade appeared out of nowhere. "Let me pass, or I think your tongue will be the first thing to go."

"What... what in the name of the goddesses are you talking-" Maiten was cut short when he was grabbed from behind, and a hand snaked around his mouth. Gloved finger reached into his mouth and pulled out his tongue as far as it would go. Too late did Maiten realize just why the tongue was first to go.

No one would hear his screams.

* * *

Link had acquired the boomerang, and was chasing Bigocto around in circles. He had found Ruto, and together they had found the third Spiritual Stone. Only when the Zora princess had moved to retrieve the stone, this big, purple monster had appeared and stole away with both the princess and the stone.

He threw the boomerang into the monster's face, stunning it for a time while he continued to run at it and slash it with his sword. Bigocto screamed something unintelligible, and melted into a large purple puddle of goo. Link did not see either the princess, or the stone, and racking his brain, he remembered there was a section of Jabu-Jabu's belly that he had not yet explored.

[They have to be there.] determined to serve Princess Zelda, and save Ruto, he ran across muscle and slime to reach the main "room". He could see where he needed to be, and worked his way across to the area where the princess fish was waiting.

* * *

Ghirahim licked his blade free of blood as he walked away from his victim. The guard's screams would have been beautiful in his ears, but it was too risky to have allowed himself such pleasure. Strutting up to the large drawbridge that led into the castle's halls, he used his magic to make it fall over the moat. When it was securely in place, he stepped across.

He didn't truly understand what had made him decide to enter the palace, maybe it was the thrill of torture and blood, or his rage at being tricked was calling him to the place of power. He didn't know, nor did he care. All that mattered was the promise of screams filling the halls, and blood staining the walls.

Every time he passed a guard, he snapped his fingers and chains dragged them to the walls and wrapped around their mouths. Using his blade, he removed their tongues, ears and feet before removing the bonds that held them. He would allow them to crawl a few feet, then he would hack off their hands and then their legs at the knees. Only when they begged for death would he give it to them. Their pleas were humorous when they had no voice to speak. It was mostly tears and muffled screams.

He danced into a large fancily furnished room. Licking the blood off his sword once again, he sat in one of the plush chairs set around a polished table. He had killed nearly fifteen guards altogether, and he knew there were many more, but decided to rest for a moment before continuing his murderous game.

Footsteps resounded through the dark corridors outside. Ghirahim stayed in his seat, but prepared to kill whatever came through the door. The handle turned, and in stepped a heavily muscled man with dark skin, and red hair. He had on black armor, and wore a cape the color of night. He sneered at the demon sitting in the chair, growling.

"Who are you to sit in my chambers?"

Ghirahim stared wide-eyed, mouth agape at the man before him. He leapt out of his chair, and kneeled at the man's feet.

"Master." he whispered.

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**A/N: Well, there went my OC. Didn't have much role to play...I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I did. I truly believe that those palace guards had it coming. I mean, COME ON! Every time you walk near one, they blow their whistle, and you have to start over again! It is so aggravating! Ugg...**

**Ghirahim: I thought you said no one wanted to hear about the blood...  
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**Me: Well, now is a different case. Those guards deserved it.  
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**Ghirahim: True. How about some more...  
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**Me: NO! Get back to in the story.  
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**Ghirahim: *walks away mumbling about blood and screams*  
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**Please Review!  
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	4. Paper Escape

**A/N: Yay! Another chapter that wasn't below 1,000 word count! I hate the shorter ones... I feel as if they don't help progress the story on, but that they have to be there TO progress it... Hopefully you are perfectly content with my story!  
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**I want to thank my reviewers, who have been kind enough to spend their time on me! Thanks to Din's Fire, FatGuy ONFire, Katia0203, Zeldagirl1863, mikumiunishiteageru, and Mr. Jellybeans! **

**Also, Mr. Jellybeans, thank you for the helpful tips, and that is just my normal writing style-to be serious one moment, and humorous the next. And I will take what you said into consideration.  
**

**The chaper name, 'Paper Escape' may seem as if it has nothing to do with the content. Well, it doesn't. I just thought it sounded really cool. Go on, say it out loud. Paper Escape. Nice, no?**

**Enjoy!  
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* * *

Ghirahim leaned against a colorful tapestry covering the back wall of his master's room. He studied his master, comparing him to his past form. This one called himself Ganondorf, and while they did had differences in appearance, this man was definitely Demise.

He figured it out in his head, and had determined that he was in the future. This was not what he had planned, but his master was alive, so he was fine with the situation for now. But if Ganondorf was Demise's reincarnation, then the Hero and the Spirit Maiden must have been reborn as well. Pinching the bridge of his nose, the demon lord sighed. He was forced into silence by Ganondorf while he studied the demon who claimed to be his servant.

"I have never seen you before in all my existence," Ghirahim flinched at the words, "But if you claim to be a servant of mine, who am I to complain? Tell me all you know of the Triforce."

Ghirahim was caught off guard by this question. [Triforce?] He did not know much of it. It was mentioned is ancient texts, but they never went into detail of it.

The silence answered Ganondorf's question, and he moved on to the next one. "Tell me what you can of the Princess Zelda."

Ghirahim smiled, showing his glistening fangs. He knew much of Zelda. He told Ganondorf of all he knew of her in the past. His master's features rose into an evil smile as he listened to Ghirahim's story. Eventually, the demon had spoken of everything to Ganondorf. About Demise, The Imprisoned, the skychild, and even his eternal position as the faithful sword.

Now Ganondorf was laughing outright. But it was not in any way humiliating towards the demon. No, the great Dark Lord was plotting. Oh, how he plotted. His laughter was created out of giddiness, for evil can not feel joy.

"I have heard of this hero, he comes from the forest of fairies. You will wait in the Temple of Time for him to arrive. He will open the door to the room which holds the Triforce, and when he does, you must steal it. Once you obtain it, find me and hand it over to the rightful ruler of Hyrule."

"As my master wishes. I will not fail you." Ghirahim bowed slightly, making a show of his will to serve.

* * *

Link was spit out of Jabu-Jabu's belly. He landed in the cool waters of Zora's Fountain. There was a splash, and Ruto surfaced next to him, clutching the blue and gold stone in her arms. She smiled at the young hero, and handed the precious item to Link.

"This has been passed down in my family for generation, and now I give it to you. You do know, that this is a symbol of our engagement, right?" the fish princess took on a malicious glint in her eyes, and Link gulped. He already had the Spiritual Stone in his hands now, and it was too precious to let go. "I guess one could say I'm your fiancé now." Link's cheeks burned bright red, and he averted his gaze to the scaly side of the giant fish.

"Hahahaha! Just look at your face! There's no need to be embarrassed, soon we'll be married anyway!" Link's eyes went wider than ever before, and even Navi was starting to tremble in fear. He swam away as fast as he could, but being a Zora, Ruto was next to him the entire time, speaking of all the wondrous things their union would bring.

* * *

Once inside the safety of King Zora's presence, Link started to relax. Ruto wouldn't dare mention _it_ in here, would she? The king thanked Link, and sent him on his way to help the princess Zelda.

It was night when he exited the sanctuary of the Zora folk and was crossing Hyrule field. The sky was rapidly darkening with heavy rain clouds that seemed to be close enough that if Link was standing on the shoulder's of a tall man, he would be able to feel their thickness. By the time he reached the gate into the castle's marketplace, it had started pouring down drops of cold rain. He was going to wait outside all night if he had to, for he wanted to reach the princess as soon as possible.

The drawbridge started to lower. He heard the rumble of the chains being moved on the pulleys, and stared at what came out.

A white horse was running over the moat before the bridge was fully down yet. The beast carried two passengers. One was the Sheikah woman, Impa. The other, was the princess herself. As they ran by, Zelda turned and called out to him, and made a movement with her arm, and Link saw something small and dark fly over his head.

But he had no time to react, because as the white horse was disappearing into the night, a big, fierce black horse approached him. Looking up, he saw the man from the room next to the courtyard where Zelda liked to stay.

Ganondorf.

"Arrrrgh! They got away." the man cursed under his breath. Noticing the boy, he turned his head and looked down at him. "You there, boy. You must have seen the white horse gallop past just now. Which way did it go?" his voice was deep, and powerful. Link backed away from the man in black, his voice stolen away by fear. "Answer me!" Link only backed further away.

"So you think you can protect them from me... You've got guts kid." In a small burst of courage, Link drew his Kokiri sword from its sheath. "Heh. Heh. Heh. You want a piece of me? Very funny... I like you're attitude." Ganondorf out stretched his hand, and a light seemed to seep from his palm. With a flash, Link was pushed over unto the soaked ground.

"Do you have any idea who you are dealing with?" the man bellowed into the night, his voice carrying and ringing in Link's ears. "I am Ganondorf. Soon I shall rule the world! And no boy like yourself will stand in my way!" On his final word, his horse reared and cried out, then galloped off in the direction that the white one before it did.

Link had no time to waste. The guards were thankfully confused about what happened, and were too busy shouting at each other to lower the bridge again. Link ran to the moat and dived in, searching for whatever Zelda had thrown, remembering hearing a splashing sound earlier. He found a something dark lying at the bottom, and dove down to grab it. It turned out to be a blue ocarina, with a triangle design on the mouth piece.

Link rushed out of the icy water just in time to jump onto the raising bridge. He scurried throuh the dark marketplace, making his way to the Temple of Time.

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**A/N: I am happy to say that, Link will be meeting up with Ghirahim in the next chapter! There will be a small battle, and the Master Sword! Please review!**


	5. Time's Encounter

**A/N: as promised, here is the first Link-Ghirahim encounter! I feel as if this chapter is a bit lacking... On what, I don't know yet... Maybe I'm too wordy? Need more story, less descriptions? Well, here it is anyway!**

**And what a wonderful date to publish this chapter! The first of October, and also my favorite month! Yay for October! ^.^ **

* * *

Ghirahim was waiting patiently, just as the master had told him to. Standing in the darkness, he mulled over what type of torture he wanted the boy to endure. Of coarse, he would have to allow the young hero to open the Door of Time first, allowing Ghirahim to sneak in, and steal the Triforce for his master.

The temple was not nearly as dark as he thought it to be when he had arrived in this time. There were stained-glass windows, that told stories of the past, they let in the light from outside, and even seemed to emit their own source when there was none coming through.

It was only a matter of time before the boy came in. He gazed up at the window that was the frozen image of a boy, clad in green, standing beside a crimson bird. The boy in the glass held a sword in one hand, and a harp in the other. His eyes narrowed into a glare at the sight of it. Humans only remembered what they wanted to. Only things of joy, never hurt. Where were the monuments dedicated to war? To famine? No, humans were too narrow-minded to save anything of real value. They remembered their Heros, but never the trials they went through to become Legends.

He lifted a gray hand to his face, admiring it in the low-light of the temple. He had removed his glove for the sole purpose of viewing his skin in the light of the temple. It turned red, and green because of the glass. He sighed, and placed the glove back on. His brilliant white hair also was turning colors in the temple, but he no longer cared.

His diamond earring clinked when he turned his head to the front of the building, as a young boy, about the age of ten, hesitantly walked in through the marvelous archway. Ghirahim snapped his fingers, appearing inAshe shadows, as to not be seen. The sound rang out through the marble walls, and the boy stiffened up for a moment, then continuing on toward the alter in the back of the temple.

[Damn...] he thought to himself, [I really should be more careful.] It didn't matter much though, and as the boy in green approached the alter Ghirahim held his breath. And when he had placed the three stones on the engraved block, the entire room lit up with a brightness that overpowered all the darkness. And yet the boy did not see him. He instead pulled out a beautiful blue instrument, and played a sad, slow tune. Time itself seemed willing to bend at the boy's command, but time soon smoothed out again. A rumble resounded through the temple, as the large wall behind the demon lord separated like a door. When the song was over, the boy looked up and gasped. Even the fairy that flew around his head made a sound that resembled the boy's.

Ghirahim was not prepared for the levels of hatred that boiled under his skin at the sight of the Skychild. There was almost no difference to his past self than the one standing here before him. Even though there was a seven-year difference to what the hero in the past was, and this boy was now, it was like looking back on a memory of the Skychild.

"Heh heh heh heh... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!" Ghirahim was laughing at the top of his voice, his arms spread out wide. "Now you've done it! I want to thank you Forestchild, you have done me a great favor for what you just did." Ghirahim snahiss his fingers, a black sword appearing in his hand. "Thanks to you, I am able to retrieve what rightfully belongs to me. For this, I will make sure your death is a fast one." he laughed some more, and danced into the room beyond. Link tried to run after him, but Ghirahim snapped his fingers again, and a wall of yellow, orange and red diamonds rose up and blocked his progress.

As Ghirahim made his way into the next room, his eyes fixed on the main feature of the room. A golden triangle, made out of three golden triangles stacked on top of another, was floating above a master craft sword. The blade seemed to pulse out a negative energy at his presence, but his attention was still given to the majestic symbol of power. As his hand stretched out to tough it, he heard the whispers of thousands of Hero's of Past, calling out to him, beckoning him to grab the holy symbol.

He also heard the frustrated cry of the Forestchild, but the boy did not matter now. Only the Triforce, and Ghirahim existed the moment... When his hand came into contact with the Triforce, a scream escaped his mouth. A burning sensation came over his hand where it touched the sacred symbol, and slowly spread throughout his body. It was horrifically painful, yet wonderfully blissful at the same time. After what felt like two eternity's, he was surrounded by nothingness. But that only lasted a fragment of a moment.

The Triforce seemed to separate, and then, the three pieces rushed off into three directions. Ghirahim visibly deflated, his master would not be pleased with this. But how? How had it split? He turned slowly, and glared daggers at the boy who still struggled with his diamond gate. The boy returned the gaze with his own.

"The boy seemed to glow with a strange light now, but Ghirahim only saw the Skychild, and his hatred for him and all of his lives to follow exploded as the demon raised the sword in his hand high, and it started glowing black.

* * *

Link let out a small cry as the tall, odd-looking man brought the pulsing sword down over his head. In his rage, the magic wall faltered, and taking a chance, Link bolted past, heading toward the sword in the center of the next room. His hand was just inches from the decorated hilt when he felt a pressure on his back. The man had grabbed his from his shirt, and lifted him so that they were face-to-face.

"Do you know me Forestchild?" he asked in his most menacing voice possible. Link shook his head, sweat running down his forehead in fear. "Heh. I should have expected as much. I am Ghirahim, Demon Lord of the lands once known as the Surface. But you may call me by my full title, Lord Ghirahim. But don't worry, I'm not fussy." He tossed Link across the room, and summoned daggers, ready to throw.

Link crawled to his feet, and stumbled to the sword in the center of the room. Ghirahim laughed at him, mocking him for his courage. He then released all of the floating daggers, all aimed at Link. But before any could make contact, a soft blue light pulsed from the sword in the ground, and a wall formed around Link, the daggers turning to sand when they made contact with the light.

* * *

Link was disturbed. He thought it was Ganondorf who was the evil that needed to be removed, not this Ghirahim. And who was he anyway? A servant of Ganondorf? His equal? His master? Or was Ghirahim his own man, his own sense of evil, and Link needed to bring them both down on different terms? His thought were jumbled, this was all too confusing. All he could clearly think about was the pain, and how much he was wishing for the demon to be a dream.

The light was beginning to dim, and as the sheild faded away, Link prayed to the goddesses that this would be over soon. That he would either escape, or that Ghirahim would end his life quickly.

* * *

Ghirahim ran forward, and kicked Link in the side when the light faded away. link cried out when the foot made impact with his ribs. They did not break, but the pain was still too much.

"So, Skychild, now you scream for me? Well, you will be singing that beautiful tune foryears to come!" Ghirahim did not even realize that he had slipped, had used the wrong name. His rage against the loss of the other two pieces, it had consumed his mind. He grabbed Link by his hair, and flung him again, only this time, Link landed next the the Master Sword. Ghirahim tried to snatch the boy up befote he could do anything, but Link had already crawled up, and grabbed the decorated hilt.

More blue light encased him, and he could feel himself rising higher, and higher. He could see Ghirahim, beating on the light when it still within his reach. But finally, he disappeared from sight.

He wasn't seen again for another seven years.

* * *

When the boy disappeared in his orb of blue light, Ghirahim screamed a sound of pure hatred and fury.

[The insolent boy! How is it that no matter which one I face, the child always seems to escape my grasp!?] He struck his hand against the wall, yet unlike the wall in the Fire Sanctuary, this one did not crumble. His glove seeped a golden light, and Ghirahim stopped his rage long enough to examine his hand. As he removed his glove, the glow grew in brightness, and covered his vision. When it dimmed enough for him to see clearly, Ghirahim noticed the outline of the Triforce on his right hand, with the triangle on top filled in. An evil grin slowly seeped onto his face, and a laugh just as horrible escaped his lips.

Maybe it wasn't so bad, if he at least had one piece of the holy relic. He still shuddered at the thought of what his master would do when he learned of Ghirahim's failure to attain the Triforce and stop the child, but he knew that Ganondorf would not kill him. Not when he was still needed.

* * *

**A/N: Yay for dangerous encounters! ^_^ What did 'ya think? Review to tell me! This chapter was not easy to write when Link showed up. I think the battle was hard because I didn't want it to be too intense (because Link is just a little kid at the moment), but I didn't want there to be no fighting. That would be boring...  
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**I am sorry if this did not meet your expectations, I am not confident in my fight/angst writing skills, and somehow, I feel as if that in itself is part of the problem... **

**Anyway, Link has a piece of the Triforce! Ghirahim has one too! What ever shall our protagonist and antagonist do now!? Read the next chapter to find out!**


	6. The Lost Race

**A/N: ****Wow, this chapter is REALLY long for the average length for my stories. I like this size chapter, but it is so unusual...**

**I origonally had a tiny amount of torture in this chapter, but was told by an outside source (meaning not from my head) that I should remove it. I agreed, because it was just in there, not really doing anything with the progression of the story. I _had_ plans for it, but decided that I would only write myself into a corner. And that would be a BIG no-no.**

* * *

Link woke to find himself still encased in light, but this one was much harsher. A man in red and orange robs approached Link, and he rose to his feet to greet the stranger.

"Hello Link. I am Rauru, the Sage of Light. Guardian and builder of the Temple of Light. Do you know where you are?" Link shook his head, happy to see that his fairy was still whizzing around his head. "You are in the place known as the Sacred Realm. When you pulled the Master Sword from its pedestal, you were pulled from your world, and brought here."

"Why?" Link jumped at the sound of his voice, sounding deeper than he did before.

"When you pulled out the sword, you were too young to carry out the task of defeating Ganondorf, and so you were brought here until the time when you could emerge and remove the darkness that taints the world."

"So how long have I been here...?"

Rauru looked at Link with sad eyes, and spoke in a whisper, "Seven years."

Link recoiled, and looking down at himself, he saw that he was much taller than what he remembered. "...So what do I do now?"

"Take this Link, and go to the five temples located around Hyrule, and awaken the Sages who guard these places. Then, you must dispel the evil that resides in the castle located beyond the temple." Rauru held out a golden medallion. "Now, leave this place, and save your world from the evil that resides there." Link took hold of the medallion, and when his skin made contact with the shiny surface, the Sacred Realm faded from his vision.

The last thing he saw before passing out, was Rauru, waving, and an owl-the one who helped him as a child-rising up behind the sage.

* * *

Link shielded his eyes from the bright light that was surrounding his body. When it faded away, he chanced a look at himself in the dim light of the chamber that once held the Triforce. He was still startled when he saw that no, it wasn't all a dream, and he really had been gone for seven years. Or, he had to take Rauru's word for it, he couldn't tell exactly how long it had been just by looking at his grown self.

Grasping the Master Sword in his left hand, he left the sacred chamber, and shuddered at the memory of the demon who had attacked him. The battle was still fresh in his mind, though he knew it had been a long time. Slowly, Link started for outside, when a bright flash momentarily blinded him, and there was the slight scent of trees.

When he regained his vision, he felt a sharp pain in the side of his head as a foot slammed into his skull. Link fell over, making a loud crash when he made impact with the temple floor.

"Hmph. So this is the chosen Hero of Time? Can't even take one blow to the head without making a fool of himself." A male voice echoed and bounced off the marble walls of the temple. Link clambered to his feet, and faced his new opponent. The man was covered in blue cloth and bandage wrappings. A red eye-and-tear design was shown on the man's chest, and his head was covered in the same wrappings that covered parts of his arms and legs. His eyes and his golden bangs were visible through the cloth, and the rest of his hair was pulled back into a long braid, and his mouth and neck was covered by a scarf-like wrap. Red eyes narrowed into a glare, piercing Link's sapphire ones, and the hero readied his stance for attack, his hand resting on the hilt of the Master Sword.

"Who are you? And how did you know I was the Hero?" Link shouted unnecessarily, as his voice loudly echoed off the walls of the temple.

"It was quite obvious, as you just came through the Door of Time." The stranger let out a sound that might have been meant a laugh, if it had had any humor behind it. "As for who I am, I will not relinquish that information so easily." He raised his arms high above his head, and brought them down quickly. Another flash brightened the room, and the smoke also returned. Link looked around for the stranger, but couldn't see anything through the smoke.

He heard someone behind him, and fast as lightning, unsheathed his sword and swung it at his attacker. The smoke cleared away, and he could see that the man had caught the blade between the shell of a deku nut. Link pushed, and the sword snapped through the makeshift defense. His opponent did a back flip out of the way of the blade, and made a perfect landing on his feet.

As soon as his feet hit the ground, the stranger ran forward a few steps, and jumped over Link, using Link's head for a second lift. When he landed that time, he thrust his foot into Link's shoulder blades.

Link almost lost his balance, but spun around and grabbed the foot that was still suspended in the air. His opponent's eyes went wide at the menacing grin that appeared on Link's face, and tried to release his foot out of Link's grasp, but only managed to fall onto his back with one leg in the air. Unfortunately, this motion caused Link to come crashing down on top of him.

Link shook his head, clearing his mind from the fall, and moved away the scarf-like thing, pressing his sword against the stranger's throat. A small line of crimson pooled up under the blade, and the man under the weight of the sword glared at Link with eyes to match his blood.

"It would seem I underestimated you, Hero."

"Now, tell me, who are you? What do you want from me?" Link pressed in the blade a little more for emphases.

"If you would be so kind to remove the weapon from my neck, I would be happy to oblige."

"How do I know you won't attack me again?"

"You won't. You'll just have to take my word for it," he paused for a moment, "Not that it's worth much to you."

Link sighed, he didn't have a choice if he wanted to find out about his current situation. Sighing again, he lifted the blade from the other's throat, and stepped back. The stranger gracefully lifted himself off of the floor, and backed away from Link.

He held up his hands as show to Link that he wouldn't try anything. "I am known as Sheik, one of the last few surviving Sheikah. I have been wa-"

"Wait! If you're really one of the Sheikah, shouldn't you be serving the royal family!? Not attacking someone Zelda set out on a quest!?" Link cut out Sheik, yelling at him across the small distance.

"Do not interrupt me! I am getting to my point!" Sheik re-wrapped the scarf around his face and neck as he continued talking. "As I was saying, I have been waiting for you to come out of that door for a long time now. As for your so rudely asked question," Link felt his face flush with embarrassment at his sudden outburst. "The Princess, Zelda, disappeared seven years ago. Her father was murdered the morning of her disappearance, and her mother died during a famine a few years after Zelda was born. There is no royal family for the Sheikahs serve."

"And so you now just go attacking people coming out of doors."

Sheik's eyes narrowed at Link's statement. "I happen to not be on your side anymore. But I am also not on Ganondorf's side. I serve myself, and I want to make the world to my liking. If Ganondorf is defeated, then that is one large part of my ultimite goal completed." Sheik reached into a concealed pocket, and pulled out a small, red stone. Twirling it around in his fingers, he continued. "It was said in the legends, that a Hero would rise, and smite down Ganondorf. I had to know if you were up to the task of taking the Gerudo King down."

"And you want me to face him, instead of confronting him yourself. Am I right?"

"That is correct."

Why should I help you?" Link inquired.

"We both have a common goal-defeat Ganondorf. I have useful information regarding how to do as such. For in his current state, we are unable to kill him." Sheik looked down at the stone in his hand, as if just now realizing that he had taken it out. He placed it back in his pocket. "And besides, it would be one less foe for you to annihilate, Hero. I am sure you have met the Demon Lord, Ghirahim."

"Why do you want him dead? And what about Ghirahim? Where does he fit in with all of this?"

"Ghirahim is servant to the Gerudo King." Sheik stated.

"And do you want him dead too?"

"No Hero, I do not."

"And why not?"

"My reasons are of no concern to you."

"So I am to go fight Ganondorf, and keep Ghirahim alive. All for your sake. Why should I?"

"Didn't you hear what I said? You would be fighting against him anyway. If you accept my offer, you would have a much easier time doing it. Nothing worse would happen if you accepted, in fact, it would be safer." Sheik thrust out his hand. "What does the Hero say?"

Link glared at the outstretched hand for what felt like eons. He didn't know what to do. He would eventually help Sheik either way, and as he said, that information would make things have a much more profitable outcome. Finally, he gingerly took the hand in his, and clamped down on Sheik's fingers. Their eyes met for a second, and they stepped back.

"This is the legend passed down through the Sheikahs...

"When evil rules all, an awakening voice from the Sacred Realm will call those destined to be Sages, who dwell in the five temples. One in a deep forest... one on a high mountain... one under a cast lake... one within the house of the dead... one inside a goddess of the sand... Together, with the Hero of Time, the awakened ones will bind the evil and return the light of peace to the world... One of these sages awaits you in the Temple of the Forest. Because of the evil power in the temple, she cannot hear the awakening call from the Sacred Realm.

"Unfortunately, equipped as you are, you cannot enter the temple. But, if you believe what I am saying, you should go to Kakariko village. Do you understand, Hero?" Sheik finished his narration, looking to Link for confirmation.

"I think so... But what do you plan to do after Ganondorf is defeated? You said that with the Sages, I would 'Return light and peace to the world.' And if Ghirahim is still alive, then darkness would still encase the lands, wouldn't it?"

Link could tell that Sheik was smiling behind his scarf as he answered, "That is the legend that was passed down through my people, that 'peace and light will return'... But fate changes. Not everything will be as it first appears."

Sheik turned on his heal, and spoke in an abrupt tone,"Goodbye, Hero."

"Wait-" There was another small explosion on light and smoke. When it cleared this time, Sheik was gone.

* * *

As he left the large archway that led to outside, he noticed a horrid smell lingering in the air. It smelled of death, and anguish.

When his eyes adjusted to the even dimmer lighting, he gasped in horror. There was thick, black smoke billowing out from the top of Death Mountain, and it filled the entire sky. The temple behind him was dull, and though it wasn't missing any bricks, some looked a little loose. Not being able to see much of the market, he darted around to get a better view.

There were dead bodies. Everywhere.

Only, these corpses were standing, and they made a loud moaning sound. At that time, Navi decided to come out and aid Link with her "Monster Encyclopedia".

"Link, watch out! Those are ReDeads! Their screams will paralyze you and then they will cling to you and drain your health away!"

Link nodded. He was going to be very careful when approaching one. When he did, he heard an awful sound. It sounded like all the evil and horrible things in the world were placed into this one wail, and it stopped Link dead in his tracks. Resisting the firm spell over his body, Link tried to get away from the dark, leathery creature that was slowly stumbling toward him.

It jumped onto his back, and started using its flat face to suck the life out of the hero. Link squirmed his way out of the creature's grasp, and backed into a collapsed building that he believed to once be the Happy Mask Shoppe.

[What exactly happened while I was away?] Link frantically racked his brain for a way to finish off the decomposing thing in front of him.

"Link! Listen!" Navi chimed in his ear. "Don't you know some sort of song to repel the dead?" All of a sudden, it came rushing back to Link. He remembered a dark, damp underground tomb. There was green liquid, steaming up to the stone ceiling, and many of these ReDeads in his flashback too.

He swiftly pulled out the Ocarina, hardly noticing that he held the one Zelda had tossed to him that night seven years ago, and played the song he learned all those years ago, the Sun's Song. The sun did not rise, nor did it escape from behind the angry clouds, but the ReDead did freeze, and so did the others that were mulling about the deserted, broken market. He swung his sword, and would have vomited up the contents of his stomach had there been anything in there. His sword cut through the neck of the corpse like butter.

Really, chunky butter.

He heard an ungodly tear that made his arms shiver when his blade tore through rotted flesh and bone. A grayish-green... liquid? oozed from both the severed head, and the discarded body. Link fell to this knees, doubled over, and hacked up what little he could. Mostly, it was saliva and a small amount of mucus.

Regaining his composition, he was careful not to trip over the shriveled body of the ReDead as he ran out of the old marketplace. As he passed the door by the bridge that once held the room with the guard and all of those tempting pots that were just beckoning to be broken, he heard eerie whispers, calling to him. He ignored them of coarse, for he was already creeped out and highly confused by the events of his first day out of the Sacred Realm.

He gasped when he saw that the bridge was collapsed and slightly buried under the now-murky water in the moat. He heard a scream, a ways in the distance behind him, and turned towards the sound. He determined that the voice came from the large, black tower that now stood in place where the palace once did. This did not surprise him though, what with the way the rest of the world looked. Dashing through the water and into Hyrule Field, he instantly felt better when he crossed the water. He hadn't realized it, but when he was in the castle, he had felt cramped, and suffocated. While out here in Hyrule Field, the sky was mostly clear, save for the thick smoke still clouding Death Mountain's peak.

Link decided to take the Sheikah's advice, and travel to Kakariko Village. Hopefully, it didn't look half as bad as Castle Town did. Although there was no evidence, Link couldn't help but wonder if those ReDeads were once the inhabitants of the market. Shuddering at the thought, he hurridly ran towards his destination, hoping that the people hadn't met some horrible fate while he had been away.

* * *

**A/N: So. Rauru. Didn't like him. Nope. T.T So, if you thought his introduction was short, that's why. I wanted to keep doing stuff in the Sacred Realm, but I hated the slug guy. So, I may do some more of it when he meets another sage. **

**And for those of you who never learned this, it is highly implied that the helpful owl is an incarnation of Rauru.**

**I don't know why, but I loved the owl. Lots of people hated the owl. But not me. Hated his sage form, but I loved Rauru as an owl. Whatever his stupid unpronounceable name was...**

**Those of you wondering just what the heck I am doing, making Sheik attack Link like that, well, you must read to find out! ****Please take in mind, that his OOCness is necessary to my plans, and that this IS a _fanfic_, so there will be some of that in any story.**


	7. Rebellious

**A/N: Just to let you know, I will most likely have pieces of story taking place while Link in currently _inside of the Sacred_**_ **Realm, **_**woven in with the rest of the story. I know, totally random and out of place, but if I wrote the seven years in before he emerged, then that would be kind of boaring, having no Link in the story. I shall always mark where it takes place in that seven years, so be on the look out for it!**

**Also, this chapter has a darker air about it. If you don't like pain, then you should probably just skim over the bottom portion of this chapter. I mean, I have a reason for it being in here, and it's not just for twisted enjoyment. So you should read it, but you have been warned.**

* * *

_*****taking place during the seven years; one day after Link goes into the Sacred Realm*****_

Ghirahim frowned. He was admiring the golden symbol on his hand, thinking over the power it gave him. The Triforce filled his entire being with a strange warmth. Something he had never experienced before. Body heat. It made his heart feel as if was tearing, and being squeezed at the thought of having to give it up. What did humans call this sensation in his chest? Sadness? Yes, that was it...

His eyes narrowed at the thought of his new master, Ganondorf. Who was he anyway, to take away what rightfully belonged to him? He was not Demise, only a copy of the great Demon King. Why should he serve someone who wasn't as powerful as his original master?

His thoughts returned to the Triforce, and he decided that he would not give it up. Could not relinquish it without a fight. He decided to do just that. He would fight Ganondorf for the Triforce of Power, and if he was defeated, then he would loyally serve the Gerudo. But if he came out the victor, then Ghirahim would take matters into his own hands, and do things his way. He would become the Master.

He heard footsteps in the halls outside of the massive bedchamber and he froze in place. When the ornate wooden door opened, in came Ganondorf. He had said that the process of taking the Triforce out of one's being would most likely result in death, but if he was given Ghirahim's full cooperation, then he would make it out alive.

When Ganondorf approached and reached for the demon's arm, Ghirahim snapped his fingers, and swung the newly appeared sword, aiming at Ganondorf's hand. There was a loud clashing sound, and Ghirahim saw that the Gerudo had pulled out his own sword, and had blocked the attack.

"Hahahahaha! You think you can best me? You said it yourself, you are only my slave! And as such, you will do as I command!" Ghirahim glared at him and tried to cut Ganondorf's face, but the Gerudo was much faster than his bulky build suggested. He dodged the black blade and shifted so that he was behind the demon. Ganondorf then thrust his sword into Ghirahim's left shoulder, just an inch away from the heart beating in the demon's chest.

Ghirahim let out a soft gasp and stared down at the metal tip sticking out of his skin. A small laugh started to bubble in in throat, and then the sound was ringing through the room. [If Ganondorf thinks he can defeat me with man-made steel, then he is a fool!] Ghirahim placed his hand on the point of the sword protruding from his chest and shoved in back towards Ganondorf. He pushed himself away from his master, and the wound had nearly healed when he aimed his next attack.

If Ganondorf was surprised by Ghirahim's abilities, he made no show of it. Ghirahim managed to cut a straight, thin line across the Gerudo's left cheek, and also stab a hole through his thigh. Ghirahim himself was taking many of the hits Ganondorf made on him, but none did any real damage to his skin. Jumping onto a fancy leather chair, Ghirahim thrust his blade down aimed for Ganondorf's dark forehead. His opponent dodged this, and left a nasty-looking mark on the demon's waist that refused to stop bleeding. Of coarse, Ghirahim ignored this.

Ghirahim had no doubt in his mind that he would win. Only the Master Sword and its darker counterpart, the Dark Master Sword could fatally damage him. He was right about only being able to be fatally wounded by either his own self, or the Master Sword, but he was wrong about Ganondorf not being able to defeat him.

Ganondorf threw his sword to the side, and caught Ghirahim's blade in his hand. Wide eyed, Ghirahim stared as his blade did no damage to Ganondorf's flesh, and he saw a purple glow seep from his palm. Ganondorf then wrapped his other hand around the demon's wrist, and squeezed with all his might. Ghirahim dropped the sword, and then the Gerudo took hold of his other arm and applied the same force to this one.

The same purple glow seeped from Ganondorf's hands, and it turned to mist, creeping around Ghirahim's arms. Where they touched skin, he felt a tingling sensation, that he knew would grow into a powerful burn if he moved. Ganondorf started to chant, and it felt as if he was stealing Ghirahim's entire essence and soul. The feeling was excruciatingly painful. The warmth that he had known for only a short time, and had come to cherish, was fading away. And he could do nothing about it, for the Gerudo had him in a spell. As the last of the Triforce's power was swept away from Ghirahim, he felt a part of him missing. It had been a new part surely, but it had been his.

Both of their clothes were in shreds now, but none paid it any mind. Not even all of the blood that covered the two men and the majority of the room was concerning them. Most of Ghirahim's minor cuts were already in the process of healing, but the more severe ones seemed to be mocking him in his defeat.

Releasing his servant's hands, Ganondorf laughed and admired the newly formed outline on his hand. Like when the demon had had it, the top triangle was filled in. Ghirahim sank to his knees and bowed his head. Bested by a human... admittedly, this was Demise's reincarnation, but a human nonetheless...

"Master." he whispered, his head still bowed. Dark brown eyes met angry red ones, and the two glared at each other for quite a while, when finally,

"Do you intend to sit at my feet all day? I must say, your courage has amused me. Standing up to me like that. But understand, _slave_, that if you do so again, I will not let it go unpunished. This is your only warning." Ganondorf growled at Ghirahim.

"Yes Master."

_*****end section of seven year period*****_

* * *

Another scream ripped through his lips as the whip was brought down for the four hundred and thirteenth time. Yes, he was counting. Every sting another reminder that life was hard, and he had disobeyed his cruel overseers. His tears had stopped around the three-hundred-and-second sting. All he felt was pain, and it had all faded together now. He still screamed of coarse. But somewhere shortly before the tears ceased, so did his pleas for mercy. So now he only screamed, giving the dictator exactly what he wanted. He knew the punishments.

This was not his first whipping, and it would also not be his last.

*SMACK* The black leather was brought down again. [Four hundred and fourteen...] he cringed instead of letting another sound escape again. He did not want to give the sadist the satisfaction of hearing his screams.

*SMACK* It was brought down another six times, he did not making a sound for any of them. He mentally recorded each one, reminding himself that it was almost over. The sessions only lasted a few hours, depending on what the crime was.

"Aww. What's the matter, why did you stop? Your screams are just beautiful music to my ears." The voice behind him said. "...Well, I guess we're almost done here anyway..." One more slap landed on his back that had resembled ground meat for the past few months. Then, it was done. The manacles that held his wrists and held him there, dangling above the ground, disappeared in a cloud of diamonds, and he landed hard on his raw back, letting out a scream at the impact. "That's better." said the voice again.

He was still lying on the cold ground, when the chains at his ankles left, skin chapped from the rough metal. His small figure was shaking with fear, hunger and angst. The tears were returning. Memories of his home before the monsters came in were flooding his mind. Silent wails shook his body, and the pain wasn't helping. The blood and grime were washing away in his tears, making his freckles visible. He felt something sharp thrust into his side. He instinctively curled into the kick, and cradled his rib cage.

"Get up you worthless mutt. You're no better than a dog, lying there like that." Angrily, the boy stayed silent, hoping that if he closed his eyes, this would all be just a bad dream. But then he was thrown against the room.

"I told you to remove yourself from my floor!" he cracked open his eyes, looking at the demon who stood over him. The white hair that fell over the demon's left eye was splattered with blood, and so was his skin-tight white clothes. Demon Lord Ghirahim of the Surface, was what he liked to call himself. Demon... yeah, he got that part right. He was merciless, and cruel. Just like any demon should be. Ghirahim eventually forcefully grabbed the boy by his orange-blond hair, and carried him into his cell.

It wasn't too bad... he had a bed (Though it was dirty and was home to about a million different insects), a wash tub (Though that too was lacking. It was almost always empty), and even a window. He immediately climbed onto the filthy cot and gazed out his barred window. He heard the Demon Lord sigh, and walk away, his footsteps echoing through the halls. It was all he ever did, gaze out into the word outside. If he had nothing else, he had hope. Hope that someone would rise out of all the evil and defeat Ghirahim and Ganondorf. Though he despised Ghirahim more, for he had never encountered Ganondorf... yet.

After an hour or so of looking out his window, and marking all of the lashes he got today on his already chalk-covered walls, he laid back and squirmed his way into the sheets, and started to fall into the dreamless sleep he had known for the past few years.

But, as did happen every night, he heard the slightest sound. It was a small fluttering sound. And as he did every night, he opened one eye very slightly, and stared at the shiny, teal ball of light that hovered just outside his cell, its wings softly fluttering. And, like any other night, it whispered in the tiniest voice,

"...poor Mido."

* * *

**A/N: First off, that top section of story, if that was confusing as to why something from a chapter or two ago was placed here in the wrong time, I am very sorry. I feel as if disrupted the flow of this chapter, but I didn't know where else to put it! I felt as if it would have been even more out of place in an earlier chapter.  
**

**And I am truly sorry, but I may start to have fifty different view points going on through the story, though hopefully I don't get to that high of a number. I am just warning you in advance that it may get a little out of hand, and also I will try to keep it to mostly just Link and Ghirahim. But there will be snippets of other character's, like I might throw in a couple places were the story in following Sheik, or someone like Mido.**

**Who here likes Mido!? ...is that a no one? Does not surprise me. If you are one of few people who loved that kid to death, and are very upset with what I did to him, I do not share the feeling.  
**

**Mido: Wait! Whadda' ya' mean no one liked me!?  
**

**Me: It's very simple actually. You were a jerk to Link, and we hate that about you.  
**

**Mido: But did I have to endure THAT because of it!?  
**

**Me: Perhaps not... but I am a very unforgiving author.  
**

**Ghirahim: I rather enjoyed our little session...  
**

**Mido: Of coarse you did! You weren't the one getting mutilated!  
**

**Link: Hey, why wasn't I in this chapter?  
**

**Ghirahim: Yes that is a good question. And why is it that I was not in the previous one?  
**

**Me: All of you, SHUT UP! Get back into the plot!  
**

**Everyone: *walks away mumbling*  
**

**Anyway... please review!**


	8. Grave Treasure

**A/N: Oh, my goodness. This chapter has stressed me out. Well, I had written most of the next part of the story, where Link enters the Forest Temple. But, I forgot this part! He obviously needs the Hookshot to go anywhere! So, instead of skillfully just going into the document on my computer where the next part is stored, and add this part in (so that I would be able to look at the rest of it for reference), I decided to just wing this chapter. O.o**

**I know, stupid idea, but I have many of those. So, this is just a natural occurrence on my part. **

**This chapter is leaning more to the humorous side, and I tried not to make it total crack, and that came out as a bit strange... I think so anyway.  
**

* * *

Link made his way across Hyrule field with no problems. It greatly helped that Kakariko Village was not far from Castle Town. Not a whole lot had changed in the seven years Link was gone. The only differences he noticed right away was that the building that the carpenters had been working on was finally finished. Good, maybe they weren't merrily skipping around like idiots anymore. Link doubted it.

Two men were standing near the tree in the front of the village. They seemed to be laughing at some joke one of them had said. Approaching, Link raised his hand to wave, and they stopped immediately. The two of them looked familiar, but Link knew he had never seen them in the village before. Then it hit him. Link almost burst into tears when he realized that they used to hang around Castle Town. It was a huge relief to him, knowing that at least some people weren't turned into horrible, walking corpses. In fact, he saw a few other people from years ago. There was the old man, dressed in blue robes, and in the far off distance, he could see two people dancing, refusing to let go of one another. That could only be one couple.

Link engulfed the two of them in one gigantic bear hug, he was so happy to see them. Even though they were practically complete strangers to him. When he stepped back, the two were laughing again, this time, with Link involved. He didn't know why, but he felt as if it was the right thing to do at the moment. But the moment did not last long. Link knew he had something he needed to attain from this village, and he wouldn't get it from just standing around. He couldn't even ask these people, because he didn't know what he was looking for. Maybe he could try mentioning Sheik, but he didn't know what the reaction would be, or if they would even know who Sheik was.

"Welcome, welcome! This is the lovely Kakariko Village! Is there someplace we can direct you to?" One of the two men said.

"Well, there is something I need. But I don't know what it is, where it is, or who has it." The two men just stared at Link for a while. Their expressions seemed to indicate that they really did want to help him, but if Link himself was lost to the situation, then they knew that they would be of no help whatsoever. "But, the guy who told me that I needed to have this item, I know who he is." Perking up, the men gestured to Link to tell them about him.

"His name is Sheik. He's dressed in blue, has wrappings around his arms, and his head is covered. Also, his chest has a red eye-and-tear design on it."

"I've seem him once before," said the man in blue.

"He was in the graveyard when he was here." said the other, who was wearing red.

"Really? Thanks." Link was happy to know that he at least had some sort of lead. And, he knew Dampé, the grave keeper. Though he was creepy, the guy was nice enough.

"But, you should be careful. That Sheik, he didn't seem the nicest of fellows." the man in blue warned Link as he walked toward the back of the village. Link didn't hear him though, for he was lost amongst his own thoughts. He wondered what kind of item he needed to enter the temple in the forest. Or, why he would need it in the first place.

He passed Anju, the cuckoo lady on his way to the graveyard. But, since she had most likely let her cuckoos escape... again... Link decided it was best to save talking to her for later.

It had started to rain as Link entered the graveyard. It was just as creepy as he remembered. There might have been an extra Poe or two, but other than that, not too much had changed. Link walked over to the small wooden shack where Dampé slept during daylight hours, and pounded on the door.

"Dampé? I know you don't like to be disturbed, but I need your help!" there was no answer. No shout of annoyance, no grunt of disapproval. Only silence. And this really scared Link. He was used to the grave keeper shouting at him to go away, and he was unused to this new response.

[Maybe he's just in a deep sleep?] Link mentally considered this possibility. Not taking people's personal space into account, Link burst through the door, only to find the shack empty of any life other than himself, and a few moths lazily fluttering about. Spying an open journal on the table, Link couldn't restrain himself from reading.

_'Whoever reads this, please enter my grave. I will let you have my stretching, shrinking keepsake. I'm waiting for you.'_

[Well... if that wasn't a bit creepy.] Gently, Link closed the book and stepped outside into the rain. Searching the tombstones for the grave keeper's name wasn't the easiest thing to do. Many times, when he examined closely, a Poe would come out and attack him. They weren't hard to kill so much, as just very irritating.

Finally, Link found a stone marked with Dampé's name on it. He walked around to the back of the stone, and pushed it forward. Like the large stone that marked where the royal family was buried, this one too, had a pit hidden beneath it.

Because of his experience in the other tomb, Link felt shudders traveling up and down his spine. But, if this keepsake of Dampé's was what he needed to enter the temple, then he would do whatever it took. And besides, if Sheik had been running around here, then this must be important in some way.

Just then, an accusing thought entered Link's mind. [How long ago did Dampé die? It doesn't say on his grave marker, so what if Sheik killed him?! I wouldn't put it past someone who attacks heroes.] With new-found determination, Link leaped into the pit, forgetting to check just how deep it was.

Link screamed in the dark hole. He couldn't see anything, and the walls were so close, that he continued to bump into roots, and sharp rocks buried in the earth. When the hole finally opened to a much wider area, Link immediately readied himself for a hard landing. Instead, he felt himself being gently lowered to the ground. Why did that happen whenever he jumped through strange, possibly dangerous holes?

Link could see a ghostly figure hovering near the end of the room he was standing in. The walls were carved from the earth, and Link started to feel a little cramped. The floating figure seemed to be beckoning him to come closer, and Link did as such.

As expected, the figure was none other than, Dampé himself. Few thing had changed him from seven years ago, when he was alive, to now, when he's dead. The differences that Link could spot, was the halo floating above his head, and the fact that he was clean for once.

" Heh heh heh... Young man! Are you fast on your feet? Let's have a race! I may not look like it, but I'm confident in my speed. Follow me if you dare!" Dampé,s ghost then took off into the maze of tunnels behind him. Link dashed after his retreating form.

The tunnels were damp, and mostly dark. There were some torches, with odd colored flame. Dampé continued to throw wisps of fire at Link, causing the Hero to collapse in burning pain. Thankfully, it did not last long and Link was able to pick himself up from the cold ground with the grave keeper still in sight.

After almost being struck with the flames for the fourth time, Link lost sight of his guide. In a panic, Link hurriedly ran into the nearest branch. What he found was blinding. A huge pile of sparkling rupees lie at the end of this path. Link could almost here them calling out to him, as if daring him to come stuff his wallet with their shiny wealth. In the distance, Link could hear a shifting noise, like stone grinding against stone. This snapped him out of the trance of the rupees, as he dashed off to find the exit. He ran past more treasure, but none of it mattered to him. Finally, he saw the door, and it was halfway closed already. With a burst of speed, Link splashed through a puddle of murky water, and came right up to the falling exit. He slid underneath it, the gritty stone just above his nose. At the last moment, he looked back to see that his hat had fallen off just outside. He thrust his hand out, and snatched his hat back just as the door slammed shut.

Shifting the green hat back into place atop his blonde head, Link stood, and walked up to the spirit of this horrific place.

"Hehehe, young man... You were very quick to be able to keep up with me! Hehehe! As a reward, I am going to give you my treasure. It's called the Hookshot! It's spring-loaded chain will pull you to any spot where it's hook sticks. Doesn't that sound cool? I'm sure it will help you!" Dampé waved his hand, and the shadows seemed to crawl away from a spot near where Link was standing. Link could see a chest start to creep out the darkness. He looked to Dampé for permission, and the ghost nodded.

Slowly, Link undid the hatch and lifted the lid to the wooden box. Sitting in the bottom was a very strange-looking contraption. Link didn't know what to think of it. It had a handle at one end, with a sharp arrowhead at the other. He could see chains wrapping around one part of it, and it just didn't look possible...

Link turned around to thank the grave keeper, but he was nowhere to be seen. From the darkness, Link could hear the retreating laughter of Dampé.

"Careful on your way back... hehehehe..."

The door he came through was still sealed tight, so Link went to the only other way out. There was a large hole that was pitch black inside. Putting on a brave face, Link stepped into the void. He walked on for what seemed like hours, getting nowhere. But finally, he could see a light in the distance. He also could hear a frightenly familiar tune playing. Coming out of the tunnel, Link's eyes widened at where he came out. The Wndmill's beams and parts were slowly turning in time to Guru-guru's music box. Jumping down onto the turning platform, Link almost lost his balance when he landed.

Mysteriously enough, Guru-guru didn't seem at all concerned that people were jumping in from the ceiling. He just smiled at Link, and gave him that creepy smile of his. Slightly embarrassed, Link ducked his head while walking through the Windmill Hut. He stepped outside into the fresh, cool air of Kakariko Village, thankful to be out of the tomb. Now prepared for the temple in the forest, Link set out for the one place it could possibly be.

Home.

* * *

Ghirahim opened his eyes as he heard footsteps approaching. The handle on the door turned as someone walked in.

"You called for me?" the man said.

"Yes. Do you happen to know where the Forestchild is going? Now that he's come out of that blasted door, I should finish what I started all those years ago." Ghirahim smirked at the memory. But his smile faded as he recalled how in the end, he had failed to keep him from escaping.

"I believe he is headed toward Kokiri Forest, and the temple that resides there."

"Well then, I guess I'll leave him to you for now. Do you think you can handle him, Sheik?"

Sheik slightly bent his head. "I know I can."

"Good. Then you will travel to the temple, and deal with him when he gets there." Ghirahim dismissed the Sheikah with a wave of the hand. Sheik turned on his heel, and left for the Forest Temple, where he had told Link to go the day before.


	9. Escaping Shadows

**A/N: Yo' what up peoplez? What am I doing? I am in the Caribbean until Thanks Giving! So, do not expect any updates or new anything until the day after! I'll tell you all about it when I come back! Who knows, maybe I'll be hit with an inspiration so fierce, that something involving dolphins will show up! Maybe dolphins in Lake Hylia? Nah, too strange...**

**Enjoy the chapter, or else! :D**

* * *

Link was only slightly disturbed at the extra monsters running around the Lost Woods. It was nothing out of the ordinary to have Deku Scrubs running around. But there were just so many of them...

But Link was shocked into silence when he passed over the bridge and into the home of the Kokiri. There had never been monsters in this part of the forest before. And not only were there a lot of them, some of them, like the Deku Babas, were giant-sized! Link pulled out the Master Sword, the blade glowing at his touch, and proceeded to rid the forest of the ferocious plants. He knew that they would be back of course. Monsters tended to do that.

He rushed into Saria's home, expecting her to be there. But she was gone. Link had a little light bulb moment (wait, what's a light bulb?) and ran behind his childhood bully's house-that was really just a tree-and onto the platform that led into another section of the Lost Woods.

Here too, was overrun with monsters. He evaded most of them, not wanting to waste time on Deku Scrubs, but did have to fight the occasional brave plant. He wove his way through the dense trees, taking the path he had memorized to reach Saria's secret hiding place.

When he came unto the place with the raised ground that formed a maze, he halted. He heard a... purring sound? Yes, it sounded very much like a content cat. Confused, he cautiously walked through the broken gate and into the beginning of the maze. He turned his head one way, nothing. It was all clear. When he turned his head the other way, the way he need to go, he screamed when he saw a large warrior with the appearance of a bull dog rushing towards him with a long spear at the ready.

He jumped back out of the maze, and thankfully, the beast was unable to comprehend that his prey had left the maze. For it just slowed and lowered its weapon, looking somewhat confused, and continued walking. It seemed to be pacing, or at least guarding something, for it kept walking back and forth past the entrance many times.

Link, being the amazing ninja that he is, decided to be sneaky, and waited for the beast to pass by again. When it did, Link sprang up from his crouching position, and ran his blade through its head, piercing its skull. The thing fell onto its back and cried out, disappearing in green flames. Link was about to try entering once again when he heard it again. The purring.

[Just how many of these things are there!?] he frantically thought. He crept around the corner, relieved when there wasn't another one on this path. But, as he turned the next bend, he quickly backed away, as another one was making its way over to Link. Link continued to use his super-sneaky method of wait, and stab. It worked perfectly... almost. He was chased and pushed into the small pools of water a few times.

After killing what seemed like millions of what Navi said were Moblins, Link rushed past the last turn, hearing deeper, louder purrs. He looked up at the biggest, baddest Moblin of them all. Unlike the others, this one help a large wooden club and wore less armor. It glared at him through its red, bloated eyes, and seemed to taunt Link with its stare. Being a rational man, Link did not hesitate. He jumped right into the action, like any good hero would. Unfortunately for him, the monster was much smarted than its fallen brethren. It brought the club up, high above its head, and swung down, Link thought that the beast was just a stupid... beast. He wasn't anywhere near it yet! But it knew what it was doing.

The ground shook when the club made impact with the ground, and the vibrations sent Link flying backward. Link got up, and brushed the dirt and dust from his green tunic, sprinting toward the menacing beast as it once again bashed its weapon into the ground, sending Link back a second time.

[Well, third time's the charm.] Link used a nearby tree to help him stand, as his leg was aching from all the running and falling he had been doing that day. For a third time, he dashed, got knocked back. And a fourth time, then a fifth time. By the sixth time, his sword was glowing brightly and Navi came out of her place inside of his hat.

"Link! Don't you think that this. Isn't. WORKING!?" Navi was screaming at the top of her little fairy lungs, hoping that Link would find a different method of getting past the Moblin, as he was only getting pummeled by it.

"Navi... just... one more..." Link was panting profusely and was bent over, hands on his knees. He raised his head to glare at the Moblin who seemed to be enjoying the Hero's struggles. Link had an idea, but it was risky. Gathering up all the strength he could, he charged at the beast, and when it brought its club down, Link jumped up and clung to a nearby tree for a moment before again making his way towards the Moblin. This happened quite a few times, and finally, when he was close enough to the ugly thing, Link hacked off one of its hands, stopping it from using the club anymore.

An angry roar sounded through the entire forest, and Link wouldn't have been surprised if any of the Kokiri had heard it. Link had to cover his own ears to stop from going deaf. The Moblin tried to knock Link over, but that didn't happen. It shakily rose the club in its one good hand, and brought it down over Link's head.

Link rolled out of the way just before the wooden weapon made contact with his face. The ground did shake, but not enough to knock him of his feet, for with only one usable hand, the monster could not put as mush force into its attacks. Link met the Moblin again and found his chance, driving his blade into the heart of his opponent. After a pitiful whimper, the Moblin crashed to the ground, and like the others, burst into green flames.

Link sheathed his sword, and continued on his way toward the Forest Temple where Saria liked to play. Only, Saria was nowhere in sight. The stump where she would normally sit and play her ocarina was empty, and covered with more moss than usual.

Link heard something fall from a tree to his left, and turned to see Sheik calmly walking towards him.

"So, it seems we meet again, Hero."

"What do you want this time? You aren't going to attack me again, are you?"

"That is exactly the reason I am here." suddenly, Sheik crouched low to the ground, and then ran at full speed towards Link.

Link was not ready for this, and took a blow to the gut, making him fall to the grassy forest ground. Spitting up the dirt that he had managed to shovel into his mouth, he rose from his position on the ground, and spun around to see that Sheik had already moved out of sight, no doubt planning his next surprise attack. Carefully, Link scanned the trees for any sign of the mysterious man, hoping to find him before he could surprise Link again.

The sound of crunching leaves gave away his position, and Link spun in the direction of the sound, readying his blade. Sheik however, did a perfect flip over Link's head, and landed on the hero's shoulders. He then raised his fist, and brought it down right onto Link's hat-covered scalp. The impact made Link stumble, therefore forcing the Sheikah to jump down from his perch atop Link's back.

Link was still worn out from all of the work he did to get past the Moblin, and it took a while for him to steady himself enough to face his opponent. When he did return his attention to Sheik, he could not see the man once again. Frustrated, Link turned around on his heel, only to be struck in the face with a Deku nut. He finally got to experience something similar to what he made Ghoma go through.

His entire face felt as if it were on fire. Blinding light covered his vision when he tried to open his eyes, which further fueled the splitting headache that was coming on. So, Link kept his eyes screwed tightly shut. Eventually, the white faded away to a soothing black that seemed to devour Link where he had collapsed on the ground. Farther, and farther away did the sounds of reality become as Link fell further into the sweet, welcoming darkness.

* * *

When Link opened his eyes, the first thing he noticed was that there were tiny lights, flying around the forest. Link didn't quite understand. The last thing he remembered, was he was in Kakariko Village, coming out of Dampe's grave through the Windmill Hut. After a minute of just lying there in the grass and dirt, it all came back to Link. He slightly turned his head to the side, trying to find Sheik, if he was even still around. He was. Sheik was sitting on the tree stump with his back turned towards Link.

As if he had somehow known that Link had awakened, Sheik began to speak in the melodic, rhythmic voice he did when he recited the legend in the Temple of Time.

"The flow of time is always cruel. It's speed seems different for each person, but no one can change it. A thing that doesn't change with time is a memory of younger days... In order to come back here again, play the Minuet of the Forest." Sheik pulled out a beautiful golden harp. He started to play a song that reminded Link of trees, and the scent of wood. Link continued to stay silent, and listened as the song enveloped him in it's peaceful beauty.

Magic was happening.

Link could feel it flow and swirl around him, as the power of the song filled the grove with energy. He could see visions of his childhood friends, and the Great Deku Tree. He did not know if Sheik was feeling these things as well, but all he could think of was music, and the forest. Somehow, Link knew he would be able to play it on his ocarina when he wanted to, but he didn't know how he knew that.

"So, Hero, do you feel up to the task of finding the evil lurking within these temple walls? Or are you having second thoughts about our deal?" Sheik inquired.

"A deal's a deal. I won't go back on my honor. Even if I still don't trust you.**"** he said, finally showing that he was conscious once more.

"...good." with that, Sheik reached for his concealed pouch, and pulled out another Deku nut. After using it to make his smoky distraction, he was gone.

* * *

Link looked up at the door leading into the temple. It was at least six feet above his head. Moss and vines were growing over the surface of the temple, and Link wondered how he would reach the door when the stairs leading to it had worn away probably a century ago. That was when he noticed the lone, dead tree, close enough to the temple, that if Link were standing on the top of it, he would be able to jump over to the door.

Remembering what Sheik had said about needing new equipment to reach the temple, Link pulled out his newly acquired Hookshot, and aimed it toward the top of the tree. When the hook pierced the bark, and stuck, Link almost jumped for joy. Almost. He had forgotten the next part, and was pulled through the air towards the tree. Link let out a small gasp when he neared the spot the hook was. When he reached it, he felt himself slam into the bark, letting out a grunt of pain. He then pulled himself up onto the top so that he was able to stand, and yanked the Hookshot out of its place in the tree.

Because of the lack of space to jump, Link had a bit of difficulty making it across the gap without falling to the ground. But, he did successfully make it to the other side. Brushing away some of the moss and dirt, he slowly opened the stone door. The room beyond the door wasn't really a room, as Link could still see the sky and there were a few trees, and a lot of ferns growing all over the place. As Link neared the next door, he heard a loud howling sound behind him. Link turned around. Standing not to far away, were two, big, gray, hungry-looking Wolfos.

Seeing as his headache was still raging on, Link didn't really feel up to fighting two ferocious monsters. So, Link just dashed for the door he had not just come through. As expected, the Wolfos followed at a rapid pace. Thankfully, the distance was not far, and Link was able to shut himself inside before they could reach him. He could hear them scratching the door, and growling for a while, before he heard them burrow back into the ground.

The room he was in was much more like what he expected of a temple. The walls, floor and ceiling were made of brown stone. There were vines clinging to the walls, and also the large pillars that stood in the hallway. Link walked through to the end of the hall, into a large room, that probably had once held much beauty, but was now overgrown with weeds and plants. It still was breathtaking, but in a different way. This had a very natural feel to it. He was standing on a balcony, which overlooked a covered platform in the center of the room. Four torches with green, blue, violet, and orange flames surrounded said platform.

As Link stood there, admiring the Forest Temple's natural beauty, four Poes appeared, and approached the flames. Link stared as the Poes neared the flames, and gathered them into the lanterns that they held. When the last flame was collected, the platform between them slowly shrank down into the earth.

Link watched as the Poes drifted off into four different directions. Each one had its own flame, that Link knew if he needed to get that platform back into its original position-which he would-he would need to retrieve the flames and return them to their torches.

Stepping down from the balcony, Link entered the door that was unlocked and reachable, hoping to find at least one of the Poes before it wandered off too far.

What he didn't notice, that a portion of his shadow seemed to creep away from him. It moved silently across the floors and walls, towards the temple entrance.

* * *

It came to a stop outside of the massive tower that stood where Hyrule Castle once did. Slowly, it crept into the dark halls and made its way into the dungeons whe it knew its master would be working. It stopped as it passed the only occupied cell in the entire building, listening to the sounds coming from within. It could hear a small boy, painfully gasping in his sleep.

The Shadow left where it had stopped, and continued on its way. When it finally came to the large stone doors that lead to the torture chambers, the Shadow became a form within the third dimension, filling out instead of being just a mark on the walls and floors. It opened the doors, stepping into the darkness within.

Immediately, the Shadow saw its master polishing his black swords with a piece of silk. As it approached its master, the demon putting the swords to the side as he waited for the Shadow to give its report. The Shadow leaned close to Ghirahim, and almost touched its black, glossy lips to Ghirahim's ear. It spoke in a deep, yet whispy voice. The sound was unlike any other, as none but a demon could understand the language, and it sounded like the wind blowing through a hollow cave.

As Ghirahim listened to what his Shadow servant had to say, his eyes narrowed into slits, and before he had heard the full message, he lashed out, and dissipated the being at his side, sending it back to clinging on the floor.

Climbing the stairs two at a time, Ghirahim forgot about his ability to teleport, and stormed into the room where Sheik was polishing the red stone he seemed to not want anyone to notice. When the demon entered, Sheik hastily put it into one of his pockets. Grabbing the shirtfront of the Sheikah, Ghirahim slammed the man into the far wall.

"Why did you let the boy live?!" he practically screamed at the man in his grasp.

"I won't kill an unarmed man. Or one that is unconscious for that matter." Sheik calmly responded to the rageful demon who looked about ready to kill.

"Well why didn't you kill him before he blacked out?"

"It doesn't always work that way." Sheik's eyes gave nothing away. Ghirahim could only assume that he was speaking honestly. Though, looking closer, he could see fear in the blood red irises that stared at him. Yes, there was definately some fear of Ghirahim in the soul of the Sheikah.

"Next time you lay those eyes of yours on the hero, I want you to kill him. Do whatever it takes, unless you don't think you're capable of such a task. If not, tell me now, and I will take it upon myself, and deal with him my way." Those eyes seemed to stare into Ghirahim's soul, seeking out the demon's intentions. It made Ghirahim very uncomfortable to have someone looking past his skin. But he would not let go until he got an answer.

"...I can't do what you have asked me to do, unless my conditions are met. If you are unsatisfied with my choice, then I suppose that you should do things your way."

Ghirahim stared at Sheik for a while longer, becoming more disturbed by the look the Sheikah was giving him every second he stood there. Unable to stand it any longer, Ghirahim released the man, and sulked over to the door to the room. He paused with his hand on the handle, tunring his head to look at Sheik once more.

"Fine then. We shall do things... my way." With that, he stormed off into the dark halls of Ganon's Tower.

* * *

**A/N: ****All will be revealed in the next chapter!... okay, some, will be revealed in the next chapter. Don't worry, it won't be too long before I get back, and then I will work on this! **

**And do not forget to review! I see the statistics, and it seems that only one out of ten people review any given story! Why? WHY?! Do you feel NOTHING?! No anger, confusion, joy, sadness? No, 'I totally saw that coming!' moment? Give me something... 'I liked it.' That's all it takes, three little words at least... please.**

**To the people who do review, even once, a BIG thank you! You are my motivation! I probably won't mention you by name again until the end of the story, because I can't keep track of people very well, as I am incompetent. Link would hug all of you! A friendly hug for the women, and the bro-hug for any dudes who read this! Go Link!**


	10. Haunting Shades

**A/N: Okay, listen up people! This chapter is quite long, so prepare yourselves. It wasn't as long as it used to be, but it is still one of the longest I have written. I've read much longer though...  
**

**It feels so good to be back in my home! Back where it's cold and gray instead of the bright colors and warm weather of Mexico! I am being 93% serious with you. I am such a winter person. Autumn is my favorite season, and then winter. I had such a fabulous time, and I wish I could have taken all of you with me! **

**But enough of this crowding my Author Notes. I could go on and on about my trip, or I could go on and on about a made-up adventure that Link never had in the game! **

* * *

Link felt as if something wasn't right about the situation. He wasn't aware that it was connected to him, and that the portion of his shadow that had left him had returned. But he did feel that there was something dark happening in the temple. The four Poes that had stolen the flames when he first entered the temple, Navi had given him some information about them.

They were known as the four Poe Sisters, [Gee, how creative...]-Link had thought at the time, and their colored flames kept the entry to the underground chambers open. Link had thought that they had such strange names for being horrifying ghosts. Beth, Meg, Joelle, and Amy were the names of the sisters. Navi hadn't had a whole lot of information on them, and it left Link a little confused. He thought that maybe he could converse with them if he found them, and convince them to give the flame back, but in all honesty, he knew that it wouldn't be that easy.

Navi flew ahead of Link, and studied a rather large weed in the earth. Link cautiously approached her, and when the fairy noticed his advance, Navi shouted at Link.

"Link! Get back!"

Link was unfortunately too slow to respond, and was picked up by the overgrown Deku Baba that sprung from the ground. This one was larger even than the ones he fought in the village of the Kokiri! It had him clamped between its monstrous, slimy jaws, and it shook Link back and forth, before finally releasing him from its mouth, flinging him across the garden and into one of the stone walls. Navi rushed over to her companion, and checked to see if he was still responsive. He was. Just a little shaken. But, he was also being stupid.

"Navi, I think I could do that again if I tried..."

"Link! Get it together! Use you brain!"

"Wha-" Link shook off the dizziness his impact had left him in and removed himself from the grassy ground. He put on a determined face, and marched over to the giant plant, sword at the ready. The plant charged at Link, and he was ready this time. He used the blunt side of his sword to stun the Deku Baba, and when it threw back its head, Link slashed through the stem connecting the head to the base of the plant. The results were instantaneous.

Green goop sprayed out from where Link had cut through the stem. It covered everything within a twenty feet radius, including Link. Covered head-to-toe, Link almost fainted from the horrendous smell that was coming from the slime. It was a cross between what he believed his boots to smell like, and the inside of Jabu-Jabu's belly. Neither one was pleasant in itself, not by any stretch of the imagination. But together...deadly.

* * *

Link slowly opened the door, and stepped into the dimly lit room. He jerked back to look behind him when heavy metal bars fell into place in front of the door. Link didn't worry too much, as there had to be some secret switch in here to opened the bars. Looking up, he saw that the high, arched ceiling was covered in ivy, and spiderwebs. Navi flew out of his hat and was studying the patterns carved into the walls, when Link noticed a large pile of bones and junk lying in the middle of the floor. Link cautiously approached them, and Navi wandered over as well. When the bones started to rattle though, Navi quickly retreated back under the hat. The bones shifted and clicked, until they had formed what looked just like a human skeleton with bits of armor in some areas of its body.

Nervously, Navi crawled out from under the hat, and shakily spoke to Link.

"That's known as a Stalfos. They were once human soldiers, whose souls have been corrupted and their bones cursed. Be careful fighting one, as they were trained how to fight!" she then turned back and hid within Link's hair. Link wondered why she was so afraid of it. After all, he had fought stuff that had been way scarier than this thing.

But when the Stalfos reached to its side and pulled a large, rusty, rugged sword out and pointed it directly at Link's face, the monster looked much more terrifying. The Stalfos raised its weapon effortlessly above its skull and heavily brought it down over Link.

Link jumped out of the way of getting his head split open, but his shoulder was nicked by one of the jagged edges of the weapon. He grunted in pain and griped the wound with his hand. At least it hadn't been his left side, or fighting would be very difficult.

Link slashed at the monster, only to have his sword catch in the space between the bone in the Stalfos' arm. The monster turned and looked at the blade stuck in its body, and laughed a dry, scratchy laugh. The sound hurt Link's ears, because quite frankly, it sounded like bone scraping bone.

As the Stalfos started its next attack, Link managed to lose his sword to the monster. Now swordless, Link rolled away from the Stalfos in fear. He backed into the wall, and reached into his pouch. He pulled out a Deku nut, a broken stick, hos slingshot, and boomerang. Not wanting to waste much more time, he stuffed all but the boomerang back into his pouch, and readied his position. It was a good thing the thing was slow, or else this would never work. He threw the wooden weapon in his hand, and watched as it flew at the Stalfos, and banged into the Master Sword. Link cheered a little as his sword fell free of the bone. The Stalfos barely noticed, and marched forward to Link.

The boomerang had fallen to the ground when it had made contact with the sword, and the Stalfos stepped onto the thing, snapping it under the weight.

Link let out a chocked cry. He had cherished that boomerang, and the Stalfos had crushed it without a second thought! Somehow, the fact that he lost a simple weapon-hardly even that, mostly a toy-gave Link the drive he needed to confront the monster. When the monster approached, Link rolled underneath its legs, and sprung up. Link bashed the hilt of the Master Sword into the skull of his opponent, and watched as the thing stumbled a bit before facing Link once more. It swung its massive weapon at Link, who ducked and kicked out at the monsters legs.

Letting out an enraged cry, the Stalfos went down. But it managed to thump Link in the head as it was falling. Gingerly, Link touched his nose. It hurt to tough, and when he pulled back his hand, there were a few drops of blood staining his fingers.

There was a snapping sound when the Stalfos landed on the ground. It was trying o get up, but some of its bones had been shifted, making movement in the legs impossible. Link further mutilated the monster, stepping upon the joints and snapping some of the bone with a bit of effort. He snapped the right wrist first, hopeful that it wouldn't be able to use the sword anymore.

When he had successfully stopped the movement of the Stalfos, Link waited. For what, he wasn't sure. He left to go study the door and the heavy bars that covered his exit. He jumped when he heard a small rattling sound. He slowly turned on his heel to see that the bones were once again shifting, rearranging themselves to build the monster again. Link rushed over to the pile and stared at it in horror.

"Link, you have to destroy the bones somehow." said Navi, who had come out of her hiding place to watch the Stalfos animate itself once again.

"But how do I do that?" Link let put a desperate cry. He racked his brain for the answer, when an idea finally popped up. He dug around in his pouch for his bomb bag. He was starting to become worried when he couldn't find it anywhere. Finally, Link felt the soft leather of the bag, and pulled out of the bombs along with the lighting tools.

Link tried to get the fuse to light, but he couldn't make the spark go where it needed to.

"Link, hurry up! There isn't much time left!" Navi worriedly uttered. The bones were starting to become recognizable as a human shape once again.

"I know, Navi, I know! I just. Can't. Get. It. To. Work!" at the end of his sentence, the fuse lit, and Link dashed away from the almost animated Stalfos before he could be damaged in the blast. As bits of bone and armor flew around the room, Link busied himself with hiding under his shield, crouched on the ground. Some of the shards still flew into Link, creating small scratches and cuts.

When the pieces stopped flying, Link stood up and hesitantly approached the few remains of the Stalfos that hadn't been blown away. There was something that looked like it belonged to part of the pelvis bone, a finger, one sharp tooth, bits of charred armor, and a bow with a quiver. Strange, that the Stalfos had such a nice bow. Stranger yet, that the bow was perfectly intact! As if it was not harmed at all by the explosion!

Link picked up the phenomenon, and studied it carefully. It had small markings carved into the sides and the string was shiny, as if it was made from hair. Link determined that only a fairy could create something so graceful and intricate, all the while having magical capabilities. He only hoped that it wasn't just cursed.

* * *

Link looked at the door, expecting it to open now that he had defeated the monster in the room. But it didn't.

Link walked up to the door he had yet to go through, and studied it. Trying to open the way out, Link pulled on the iron bars. They didn't budge. Next, he tried to pry them off with his sword. Luckily, it did not snap.

He tried all of the ideas he could think of to open the door, but to no prevail. He tried the same thing to the other door, the one he had come through, and the results were the same disappointing end.

"Navi, can you see any secret switches, or special markings on the walls?"

Navi fluttered her wings as an answer, and she took off, searching the room for any sing of a secret. Link watched her fly about, and he got his hopes up a few times when Navi spent more time on a particular spot for a while, but then was discouraged again when she moved on.

"I don't see anything. I'm sorry Link..." she whispered softly.

Link became angry with himself. He was angry that he had ever stepped foot in this temple! He picked up the remains of the Stalfos and started throwing them everywhere. Navi tucked herself into his hat to avoid the outrage.

Link eventually ran out of bones and armor, and all that was left was the giant sword. Link heaved that up above his head, and flung it with such force, that he managed to hit the door with it. There was a cloud clang, and the sound of metal scraping against itself. The sound scared Link back into sanity, and he investigated the damage he had created.

The sword lay on the floor in front of the back door with the blue carpet. One of the bars was bent at such a strange angle, and another one was dented in. Startled that he had caused such damage, Link jumped when he felt Navi touch his shoulder.

"Link! Look at what you've done!" the fairy exclaimed.

"I didn't mean to! I mean, I was angry and upset about being trapped, and I just couldn't control myself!" Link didn't seem to understand what his companion meant. "Fine! Strike me down, whoever is the deity of this temple. I damaged your sanctuary! I have no re-" Link was stopped short in his hysteric rant when Navi slapped him across the face. She may have been small, but she had force behind her tiny hands.

"Link! Pull yourself together! You can bash the bars in with that sword!" Navi practically screamed in his ear. She had to get the message through somehow.

"I can?" Link dumbly stared at the door, and then switched his vision to the sword. His lips rose in a knowing smirk before he heaved the sword up once again, but this time, everything was under control.

* * *

The bow proved to be quite helpful. Link didn't think there was any chance of it being cursed now that he'd used it so many times to open doors and fight off monsters. It had also proven useful in fighting off the Poe sisters. He had tried conversing with Amy, but she had just glared at him, and started attacking. After that battle, he had remembered seeing Beth and Joelle in the paintings outside of the room with the Stalfos. He had to lug himself back there and fight them. He didn't try talking with them, only started attacking the two of them respectively.

The worst part of this place hadn't been the Poe Sisters, or the Stalfos, or even his hysteric moment being locked in the room. No, what was the most horrible part of this was the rotating rooms. They were confusing, tiring, creepy, and had the most horrifying monster he had ever encountered. These things were beyond scary! Navi called them "Wallmasters." Dropping from the ceiling, and taking him to the first room, they terrified Link beyond his wildest dreams. He could never imagine how a shadow could possibly be more frightening.

Absentmindedly, Link opened the door of the garden he was in to find he was once again in the main room. He had looked all over for Meg, the last Poe sister, and he couldn't find her anywhere!

When he heard a sniffling sound, Link looked all over for the source. He slowly walked towards the center of the room, to find that there was a floating lantern filled with right, purple flame. He rejoiced a little on the i side. It looked like he didn't have to fight Meg after all! But, why was the lantern floating? And where was Meg, exactly? Link took the lantern from the air, and stared at it. Without a second thought, he let go of the handle and watched as it neared the floor. Just before it made contact with the stained, red carpet, the entire temple went blacker than night. Link couldn't see anything at all. Even Navi's light could not penetrate this darkness.

Suddenly, a light pierced the black. It was a single, purple flame. Next came the other three lights. Green, blue, and then orange. The four lights were in a square, but then, the purple one started to float away from its position towards Link. He narrowed his eyes at the strange phenomenon.

A face flashed before his eyes. The eyes were the only feature, and they were blank, expressionless. They could have sucked the soul out of his body if Link had not thrashed out at the ghostly form of Meg. She spun around, and as she did so, three copies of her spread out and surrounded Link. They twirled around Link, confusing him. He thought she might have been four Poes, but there were multiple lanterns, so they had to be fake!

The room was still black, so Link had trouble readying his bow. He fired at a random Meg, only to find that the other three shifted in and continued there circular dance. Link notched another arrow, and this time, he struck the correct Poe. Meg howled in agony, and disappeared for a while. Turning around, Link held in a scream as a ghostly sword ran through his face. Feeling as if his entire world was drenched in a cold fire, Link could not help his screech this time. He sank to his knees and wailed as the sword was pulled from Link's nose. The pain faded away a little. Enough that Link was able to touch his face, only to find that there was no hole, no scar or anything physical that suggested that a sword had moments ago been implanted in his skull.

The pain reminded him though, and he rose to his feet, notching another arrow. Meg and her clones did their little dance again, and Link took another wild guess. He was lucky, and struck the real Poe.

[Just once more...] Link was hoping that Meg would be like her sisters, and only be able to take three arrows before dissipating into the air. Link waited for Meg to show herself again. He wasn't willing to go through that pain of the ghost sword again, so he kept a careful lookout for her. He saw a flash of purple to his left, and he swung his sword in that direction, hoping to destroy her. The blade passed right through her body. Like when Link was attacked her weapon, she was unscathed.

Meg twirled, and her clones appeared. They surrounded Link once more, all flashing their lanterns and reaching out to Link with pale fingers. He could feel spiders crawling up and down his arms and legs. But when he glanced down at himself, he could see nothing, though the feeling was still sending shivers along his spine. An eerie fog poured out of the void eyes of the Poes. It was stark white, a contrast to the misty black that they were fighting in. Wherever the fog touched Link, his skin became cold, and damp. It seeped into his mouth, and drenched his throat. He had never experienced drowning, but he imagined this is what it felt like.

Before he could pass out from the intensity of the illusions, Link notched his last arrow, praying to the goddesses that he would hit the right target. Sweat poured down from his brow, and dripped onto the floor, the sound echoing in his ears. He let his fingers slip from the arrow, and allowed his arrow to fly. The arrow pierced her crown, and Link heard it as it sank into the far wall. Link lowered his bow in defeat. But then, the four Megs merged into one. She let out a screech too high pitched for Link's ears to hear.

As she faded away into the black mist, Link heard a voice, thick and raspy float through the air.

_You...who killed my sisters...I shall haunt your name...for all eternity..._

* * *

**A/N: Okay. I found a good stopping point. Whew...  
**

**I had another thousand or two words going for this chapter. And I still hadn't written it all yet! So, I spit it into two, and I hope to get the next one uploaded before Christmas. Oh yea, I wouldn't wait that long.  
**

**I need your feedback! This is all about the Forest Temple, and I need to know if you like the way I did this! I did a sort of skim over the temple, I put in key points instead of drawing out the entire experience. I mean, you played the game! You know how it works! So, tell me if you like how I did this. Review, PM, however you can get it to me! Just if you have my E-mail, I would like to know how you obtained such a thing, you stalker...  
**

**Seriously, it would be great to hear from you guys, so that I can know what to do in future chapters. So, tell me if I should write out the entire temple, keep doing what I'm doing, skip it entirely. It's up to you to help! That's part of the best reason to read a incomplete story! Authors like me like it when the readers give advice and suggestions!  
**

**Have an amazing December people! :D  
**


	11. New Life

**A/N: Who's ready for chapter eleven?! I know I am! WHOO!**

**I like this chapter more an the last one, as I was a bit disappointed with my latest work. Except for the battle with Meg, I liked that bit. Oh, what am I saying, I did like chapter ten, I just was displeased with all of the bits and pieces put together. It's like me and s'mores.**

**Yes, I love graham crackers. Yes, I LoVe chocolate. And yes, I love toasted marshmallows. But put them all together, and whaddya' get?**

**A big heap of disappointment.**

* * *

The platform had turned out to be an elevator, taking Link down deep into the earth. Link had solved whatever puzzle that was set up to reach the door he was currently standing at. He had inserted the key, and was staring at the lock that covered the massive door. What kind of monster was waiting beyond this one? What would trap him into battle? Was Saria in there, being tortured by whatever unholy beast lay on the other side of this door? Link had no answer for his questions, and that scared him. He eventually reached up and turned the key in its hole, watching as gears clinked and turned. Shrieking noised came from the lock as it fell to the floor in pieces. Pushing open the massive door, Link bravely stepped into the mystery that lay before him.

It was dark. Not as dark as when he had fought his last Poe, but it was still harder to see than most of the temple. Link assumed some form of dark magic, as he could see torches lining some of the walls. There was a small set of stairs leading up to a platform, where Link assumed was where he was going to face the evil of this place.

Taking the steps two at a time, Link quickly reached to top of the stairs. Distractedly, he spun in circles, seeing all of the paintings hanging on the walls. They were all the same down to the exact detail. The scene was a narrow road between two rows of bare trees. The sky was a deep purple color, and the road was disappearing into the horizon. Link turned on his heel, and jumped when he saw a horse with rider in one of the paintings. It was so realistically drawn, that the horse really looked as if it was rapidly approaching him.

Link realized not a moment too soon that the horse indeed_ was_ coming towards him. Link jumped out of the way as the horse leaped over his head, and into the painting directly across from it. Link watched in amazement as it sped off into the distance. Hearing a noise behind him, he faced a different painting, only to see that the picture was swirling a bit, with the horse and its rider speeding out once again. Link got a good look at the rider as he passer overhead. He looked almost just like...

"Ganondorf." Link spat out his name. He should have seen it coming! Who else would be in this room, waiting for Link to appear.

Ganondorf pulled of the reins and turned his beast around, still suspended in the air.

"Good guess, but not quite." Ganondorf stared hard at Link. He had a mask on his face that looked like a mix between a Stalfos and a goat. The result was terrifying, and not at all silly as it may have sounded. "This creature is my creation, made for the sole purpose of destroying you!"

Link realized that the man on the horse was not moving his lips, but that the voice was located somewhere outside of the room. The creature looked like a phantom, and Link was sure that was what it was.

Phantom Ganon thrust his heel into the thigh of his horse, sending it sprinting into the painting directly in front of it. Link readied his bow and waited for Phantom to show his face again. When a picture to his right started flashing, he pulled back the string and let his arrow fly into the skull-face of Phantom. The monster roared in anger and tried to decapitate Link with a sword at his side. Nimbly, Link rolled out of the way of the attack.

Link fired another arrow at the retreating form of the horse as it galloped along the road. The arrow made a loud thud when it sank into the canvas. It stuck out quite far, only half of the arrowhead was implanted into the painting. It was a good thing link had found plenty of arrows in the pots back in the other room. What would he do without his faithful clay pots?

For a fourth time, Phantom came at him, and Link shot his arrow straight into the blank eye of his opponent. Phantom screeched in pain and fell off his horse. As the beast continued running down the road in the wall, it turned to black mist and disappeared for good.

Phantom summoned a black and silver trident and powered it with a bright yellow sphere of magic. He threw the power ball at Link, who dodged it easily. He ran up towards Phantom, and tried to stick him through with the Master Sword. In response, Phantom quickly charged up another ball of energy and shot it straight down at Link as he himself rose higher into the air.

Link heard himself scream at the intense shock wave coursing through his veins. It felt like being hit by a blast from one hundred Octorocks at once, added with being struck by lightning. But as usual, after a minute or so, Link shook the effects off and stared hard at Phantom Ganon. Obviously, just running up and attacking him wouldn't work. How would he defeat this monster? [There had to be a way!] he silently panicked at the thought of dying in here, the only witness to his death being a small fairy, of which would probably die as well.

When the next energy ball came though, he snapped out of his tormenting thoughts, and wildly striking the core of the ball with his sword. He was totally surprised when the shock didn't travel up his sword, but instead bounced back towards its caster.

Phantom himself was surprised by the outcome of Link's lucky tactic and didn't have time to do anything to stop it. Painfully, the ball surrounded his body and forced him to lower himself to the ground. Link wasted no time and ran up to the monster. He stabbed and slashed at Phantom, earning an angry howl with every hit. Knowing that playing "pass the dangerously high-voltage death ball" would take too long for either of them to give out, Phantom stayed with his feet firmly planted on the ground. Not for long though.

As Link was staring at him, wondering what he was about to do, Phantom charged at the hero, pointing the tip of his trident at Link's throat. Brightly did his sword glow when Link brought it up to block the attack. Link was being pushed back by his opponent's brute strength, and he needed to figure out a way to defeat him without going muscle to muscle, because he knew who would win that battle.

Link had in idea, but it was risky. Very much so. He also needed Navi to realize what he wanted to do without saying anything, as that would give it away. He made the signal to have her come out and tell him about his opponent, but when she came out, he motioned for her to do what he wanted. She seemed to understand, and flew right up to Phantom's face. He stopped putting as much force into his trident as he studied the little _thing_ that had gotten in his way. Before he could swat the pest away, she made a highly rude gesture, sending Phantom into uncontrollable fits of disgust. Link seized the opportunity and knocked both his sword, and the trident away.

Phantom now had no idea as to what Link and his fairy were doing. But he soon learned when Link full-on punched him where his nose should have been!

[Man, I've always wanted to try that.] Link praised his handy-work as Phantom held his face in his hands. He was more surprised than anything, though it was very painful. The battle seemed to be in Link's favor now. Link kicked the still-stunned monster in the gut, and when he went down, Link grabbed his sword and pierced the heart of Phantom. Or where it should have been. Phantom had rolled out of the way at the last moment, and came into contact with his trident. Link saw him reach for the weapon and kicked it out of the way. He was about to do it, he was going to kill the creation of Ganondorf. His blade was only inches away from the monster's face, and though Link didn't like the idea of killing anything that could be considered human, he knew that whatever this thing was, it had to go.

Link stopped is attack when he heard Phantom scream in agony. The sword was still a few millimeters from his face, but still he cried out. His entire body shook with spasms as electricity was injected through an outside source.

"Why, Master?!" Phantom cried out to Ganondorf, who he knew could hear him.

"Wha-" Link stared, dumbfounded as Phantom cried out to the voice of Ganondorf.

"You worthless creation! You had no chance against him! Why should I allow you to waste my time watching you fail?!" the voice boomed throughout the room, and echoed in Link's ears.

"I can still win! I-AAARGGH!" Giving one last final scream, Phantom melted into the floor with shock waves still pouring out of his body.

"Don't think this is over Link! I will find you, and make sure that when we meet, you won't come out alive!" Ganondorf's presence also disappeared from the room, which Link hadn't noticed until now that it was gone.

* * *

Hesitantly, Link stepped into the floating crystal that appeared where Phantom Ganon had died. His body felt as if it was being stretched in a thousand directions, and on top of that, the world was spinning outside of the crystal. Link opened his mouth and let out a scream, but there was no sound to be heard.

Link squeezed his eyes shut, and waited for the sensation to pass. After his senses finally faded away to nothingness, he allowed himself to open his eyes.

The deep, swirling blue of the Sacred Realm met his gaze, and he could hear voices singing a song in an unknown language in the distance. He was standing between a slightly raised section of the ground, and he could see that it was shaped to look like the Triforce. Surrounding him, were six, evenly spaced colored circles, all with different designs on them. Two of the colors, gold and emerald, were much brighter than the others. Link was facing the emerald one, and he saw a faint outline of a child begin to form. Soon enough, Saria was standing before him on the emerald surface.

"Saria..." Link started. It had been so long since he had seen his friend, and the emotions flooding him were too much to handle.

"Link. It's good to see you again." The green-haired Kokiri stated. "It's been a while."

Saria smiled, and Link returned the gesture.

"Link..." it looked like Saria wanted to say something, but decided against it. "Thank you. Because of you, I was able to reawaken as a sage. I always believed that you would come, because... I know you, Link. I think that it is destiny, that you and I live in different worlds. I guess that we won't be seeing each other much anymore..."

"What? But, why not?" Link's face fell, and he took on a sad expression.

"I will stay here as the Forest Sage to help you... Now, please take this Medallion. It will take you back to the Sacred Grove. Good bye, Link"

Saria handed Link an emerald green medallion, and as soon as his hands clamped around the smooth surface, a bright light covered his vision. He could see just enough, though, that he though he saw tears slowly streaming down the face of his childhood friend_._

* * *

_Saria will always be... your friend..._ Link heard the whispered words carry through the darkness as he felt himself leaving the Sacred Realm, and entering the cold world of sleep...

* * *

When Link awoke from his dream, he found himself lying on the cold surface of the Warp Stone. Lazily, he shook the sleep from his senses, and removed himself from the ground. Link decided that he should probably visit the Fairy's Fountain that was hiding not too far from the temple. Walking towards his destination, Link thought about what Saria had said.

Did she mean to say that they would never see each other again? If she stayed in the Sacred Realm, than they wouldn't be able to spend time together. Sighing at the thought of losing his friend, Link climbed the ladder that led to the top of the maze, and jumped down into the hole.

Link felt himself being gently lowered onto the ground of the fountain, unlike when he fell into Dampe's grave... Slowly, Link walked towards the center of the underground fountain, admiring the way the light seemed to come from the water itself, and how all of the pink fairies danced around him as he approached.

Holding out his hand, a small fairy landed in his palm and worked her magic, healing him with her little hands. More fairies joined and helped to revive Link's strength. The sensation tickled, and Link had to hold in a laugh. Fairies got a little upset when they were made fun of. When they had finished their work, the fairies returned to flying around the marble walls and conversing with one another in their tinkling language.

Link left the fountain with renewed strength. He traveled on top of the maze, not wanting to get lost, and for fear of any Moblins still running around. Thankfully, he saw none. As he continued on through the Lost Woods, careful to go the correct way, Link tried to remember where Sheik had said to go next. The Sheikah had said something about a fiery mountain. The only mountain Link knew about was Death Mountain, home to the Gorons. That was probably the place to go, but first, Link thought it best to rest for a while.

When Link entered the safety of the Kokiri village, Link felt himself being pulled in the direction of the resting place of the Great Deku Tree. Staring up at the massive tree, Link's memories started to flood his mind. He remember all the times that the Kokiri gathered around the Deku Tree to listen on old tales and legends. He remembered the day that Navi first came to his side, and then the haunting began. He recalled the entire task of entering the massive tree and driving out Ghoma and her minions. The memory sent shivers down Link's spine, and he felt his eyes begin to fill with un-shed tears at the thought of the guardian being dead for all these years. With no one to look after the Kokiri.

Just then, Link noticed a small twig sticking out of the ground. The thing was wiggling and squirming around in the dirt, and Link leaned in for a closer look. The twig had a single green leaf on the tip, and it shook with a passion, as if it was trying to shake its way out of the earth. Reaching for the small plant, Link was surprised when it suddenly spotted moving. All was silent with the twig, when suddenly,

'AAAAAHHH!" Link cried out as the twig sprung up out of the earth and sent Link flying through the air. Landing hard on his back, Link carefully crawled over to where the twig was. Only, it wasn't a twig anymore, it was a small tree. And what was strangest of all, was that this tree had a face!

"Hello!"

[Great, just great. First, trees start popping out of the ground and scaring me half to death, and now, I'm hearing these strange voices!] Mumbling under his breath about magical trees, Link got up from his knees and brushed the dirt from his tunic. Staring at the tree long and hard, Link came to the conclusion, that this was obviously some sort of trick that one of the Kokiri had left here. That is, until it spoke.

"Hello, Link!"

"Aahhh! It talks!" Link ducked and threw his arms over his head as if to protect himself from the _menacing_ tree that was firmly planted in the earth.

"Of coarse I talk! I'm the Deku Tree Sprout!" The tree just sat there, twitching its little leaf on the top of it's... head, and smiled that cute little smile of his.

"You mean to say, that you're... him? Reborn?" Link pointed to the massive dead tree that loomed over both Link and the little tree.

"Yup, that's me!"

Link felt tears start to spring into his eyes. His father-figure wasn't dead after all! Overjoyed, Link knelt down and engulfed the tree in a large hug. The tree's smile seemed to grow even bigger than it already was. Stepping back, a thought that was bothering Link for a while now came to the front of his mind.

"Deku Tree Sprout?"

"Yes, Link?"

"Why is it that I'm the only one of the Kokiri that have grown? Rauru, he's the Sage of Light, told me that I was too young to fight off Ganondorf. But, I though that the Kokiri didn't grow old. Unless I'm just the freak Mido always said I was..."

"...how do I tell you this? Well, Link. You aren't one of the Kokiri." the tree started.

"I'm not?"

"No. You are of the Hylian race. Your mother fled the war that raged on at the time of your birth, and stumbled upon the forest. She was gravely injured, and as a last request to the Goddesses, she asked that the Spirits of the Forest would watch over you." pausing for a moment, the Deku tree looked at Link, as if asking if he had anything to say. Link shook his head, and the tree continued his tale.

"You were taken in by the forest, and raised as one of the Kokiri. As a Hylian, you were always bound to leave this forest, and that day has come and passed those seven years ago. Link, take hold of your destiny, and return Hyrule to the peaceful land it once was."

Link nodded his head, acknowledging what he had to do. It seemed that Sheik would be very helpful indeed in saving the land, Link thought.

Link said his good byes to the Deku tree, and also to the forest. As he was walking through the Lost Woods on his way into Hyrule field, he thought he heard the sound of laughter, but it must have all been in his head.

* * *

Ghirahim stood beneath a tall, ancient tree, watching, and waiting for the Forestchild to appear. He had concealed himself into the shadows, and imagined all of the horrible things he would make Link go through when he captured the boy. He could almost hear the screams in his head. Ghirahim heard the forest shift around him, and he looked around, eventually spotting Link coming his way. Letting Link walk a few steps ahead of him, Ghirahim was about to pounce onto his prey when he overheard some of what Link was saying to his fairy companion.

"...and Sheik should be there when I arrive. I just hope I know how to get to that spot..." Ghirahim tuned out of what he was saying. Sheik? What exactly did Sheik have to do with the Forestchild's everyday life? Yes, Ghirahim had sent Sheik out to try and kill the boy a few times now, but Link's expression didn't hold the look of anger, or hate one usually had when talking about someone who tries to harm you at every possible opportunity. It was more of confusion.

[I might as well look into this, and let the boy live. For now...] Ghirahim fell into step with Link, being careful not to attract attention to himself. Ahead, Link laughed at something the fairy said. Not paying attention, he then tripped over a fallen tree and shouted as he went down.

[Soon, that scream will be for me. Soon...]

* * *

**A/N: I changed some of the dialogue, because when I looked at the video for reference, I was thinking to myself, "Saria acts as if she's never met Link before!" And that is a lie! What makes it worse is that she calls him Link, proving that she knows who he is! So, I got upset and fed her my own words.  
**

**A bit with the Deku Tree Sprout as well. I wanted him to make him sound less excited, but still happy and childish. As well as being wise. Confusing? Good. All you must know is whether I did a good job or not.**

**Updates will probably take longer now, because I'm going to try to stop fooling around on the internet when I have chores and school to do, and I have started a few other stories (which is stupid, because I'm trying to stop goofing off) that I want to work on and get published here in fanfiction. Not to mention, we're all mature here (I hope), you can take the wait. Just thought I'd let you know.**

**Hoping that everyone has a Merry Christmas!**


	12. Stolen, Yet Saved

**A/N: hey guys! Great to see you again! By the way, Merry Christmas! I hope your roasted chestnuts were delicious! Keep that open fire going. ;D  
**

**Anyway, onto more important matters. I haven't updated in a while, but as many of you may know, I was hard at work trying to publish my Christmas fic, and I had been lazy, putting it off until the last minute. Onto this one now. There really isn't much plot development in this chapter, but that's okay. I said what was needed to be said, and the next one will be much better. ^.^ I hope you like the changes I made.  
**

* * *

Ghirahim was growing tired of stalking Link through Hyrule Field. It was hard enough trying to follow someone at a safe distance, as to not be seen, but to see. But when there was only large masses of open ground and sky surrounding the hero, that safe distance was hard to attain. Not to mention keep under control.

He could feel his blood boil at the thought of spending another day walking behind the little brat. The main purpose of following Link had been to learn more about his relationship with Sheik, which there had been no mention of the Sheikah's name again since that day in the forest. Ghirahim was only barely holding back from tearing the boy limb from limb by the slim chance of Link leading the demon to where Sheik was. Or better yet, Zelda.

[Look at him, he doesn't seem very hero-like, napping there in the grass like that. If only I hadn't overheard him in the forest. I would be doing something to soothe my nerves right now. Mainly by burning his.] Ghirahim allowed a slow smile to creep across his lips, and settle there as he thought of all the wonderfully horrific things he would do to the Forestchild when the time presented itself. For now though, he could only watch, and wait.

* * *

Link had almost collapsed from exhaustion and hunger. He did manage to settle himself in the grass before passing out, but that didn't seem like much of a difference when you're that worn out. As he drifted in and out of conciseness, Link mulled over what a stupid idea it was to just leave a forest full of food and good places to sleep right after he had spent three days in a dungeon with limited resources, and no sleep. He could only hope that he didn't have to spend much more time traveling before he reached any kind of human civilization. Even LonLon Ranch was sounding like a luxurious place to be, and that place smelled like horse dung, human sweat, and cuckoo pee.

Link jolted upright as he realized that if he left right away, he would be able to reach the ranch by late-afternoon! With a new, adrenaline-induced spring in his step, he made his way across the hills and dips of Hyrule Field towards the ranch. He thought of the two things that made the place really special. Malon, and Epona.

Epona was the most beautiful horse he had ever seen in his entire life. It didn't help that the only other times he had seen a horse, once had been in a nightmare, and he hadn't known what they were, and the other, his dream had become a reality!

Now strangely haunted by his own thoughts, Link rushed himself as to reach his destination and leave his haunting dreams behind.

* * *

The sun was blazing at it's brightest when he made his way into LonLon Ranch. Things seemed a little...off. There were large iron bars separation the barn and house from the field where the horses ran about. Chipped paint was starting to peel off the sides of the buildings, and some stray shingles were hidden in the dirt, forgotten there long ago. One of the windows on the upper floor of the house was cracked, and the other shattered. The shards were strewn about the area Link was standing in, and he was careful not to step on one sticking out of the earth and cut open his boot.

[What happened here?] Link's eyes were wide with wonder as he took in the state the ranch was in. He knew Malon, she would never stand for this! Yes, ranches were messy, and they did stink, but this! This was too far! And while Talon, Malon's father-and the owner of the ranch-was lazy, he wouldn't let his ranch go to the dogs!

Link could hear shouts not too far off, followed by the sounds of a horse's cry. He rushed over to the fence and peered over the spiked gate. Standing with a whip in hand, Ingo, the grounds keeper had cornered one of the horses in, and was mercilessly beating it as it cried out.

Link felt his temper rise. He had never gotten particularly angry at anyone, but Ingo was torturing an innocent creature! He stealthily scaled the fence, and was careful not to scrape himself as he went over the top. When he landed, his boots made a small thud in the dirt, but Ingo was too busy to notice the faint sound.

Something else had changed, Ingo was wearing something that looked similar to something a stranger wore when Link was in Castle Town during one of their festivals. It was bright, colorful, and frilly. Ingo looked absolutely stupid in his frilled color and tights. Not to mention, the pointy shoes.

Link shouted at the man, but he paid no attention to his name being called. Perhaps it was the loud shouts of pain coming from the poor animal that didn't allow the sound to travel to his ears. But, what was known was that those sounds of pain were what caused Link to do what he did.

Ignoring his exhaustion, Link ran forward and tackled the buffoon to the ground, and scrambled up, digging his heel into the man's back as he struggled to pick himself up from the fall.

"Get off of me you useless maggot!" Ingo screamed at Link, though he had no idea who was forcing him into the dirt.

"Not until you tell me why you were punishing the poor animal. She's innocent!" Link shouted back at Ingo.

"Innocent! Hardly!"

"Well, then why don't you tell me what she did to harm your pathetic pride?!" Link didn't know what was coming over him, but he was angry. And he needed to release his steam somehow, and Ingo seemed like the best way to do it. The man under Link's boot grumbled and shouted some more, but dirt was seeping into his mouth, making any attemps at coherant words impossible.

"Mmmmmph! Mmmnn wwwmmmm pphhhhmmm!" muttered Ingo around a mouth full of dirt and horse droppings. Link stepped back for a moment to allow Ingo the chance pf emptying his mouth. After he did so, Link was only too happy to place his foot back onto the man's back, this time being careful to not shove dirt into his face.

"That wretched Epona has gotten on my last nerve! She never obays the commands I give to her, she spooks the other horses, and look at the bruises she's given me! If you think I'm going to ever consider giving her something half decant ever again, you are most certainly the most brainless piece o-" Link finally tuned out the psychotic rant of Ingo. Did he say...Epona? The horse that was by far Molon's favorite? And the horse too timid to hurt a soul? She had to have been treated terribly in the first place if Ingo was telling the truth. Which Link didn't believe he was.

"What will it take for me to take this 'retched' horse off your hands then?" Link cut in on Ingo's rant. The man stared hard at Link, before answering abruptly.

"No."

"No?"

"That's what I said. No."

"But you said she was such a pain." bringing his hand up, Link swiped away a fly that had decided to buzz around his face.

"Yes, she is. And the only thing holding me back from butchering her useless skin is that the great Ganondorf has personally requested that Epona be given to him. I'm sending Malon over to the tower the day after tomorrow to deliver the mad beast."

"You're letting that piece of scum have a horse as sweet as Epona?!" Link had let Ingo off of the ground, but it was so that he could shove his face into the dirty man's own nose. A normal person would have felt frightened, and threatened by the look on Link's face, but Ingo was nowhere near. 'normal'.

"Do not dare to disgrace the name of the great King of Hyrule! He has done more for this kingdom than that twit, Zelda, and her family could ever have dreamed of doing!" Ingo had turned redder in the face than usual, and Link had as well. The two men stared the other down, and each one was never going to be the first so step down and submit to defeat. It was only when after five minutes that Navi decided to crawl out from Link's hat that Link calmed down. He looked to Navi, whose face said that she was concerned for his well being.

Sighing, Link stepped back from Ingo. Smirking in his silent win, Ingo walked over to where there was a bucket of cold water. He continued to talk to Link about how Ganondorf had been helping the weak to rise up, and take what was rightfully theirs from those with money and pleasantries. Sounded a lot like stealing to Link.

Navi gestured to Epona, and whispered something in Link's ear. Nodding his head, Link cautiously approached the frightened horse. She was just as beautiful as Link remembered, though her hide was covered with dirt and scars from years of abuse. She seemed to somewhat remember Link, and she allowed him to approach her, although Link knew that if he made any sudden movements, she would run in fear.

Suddenly, an idea popped into the dark, unused corners of Link's mind. he turned to Ingo, and once again interrupted his speech that was still going on.

"What was that, boy?"

"I said, do you think I could see if she's still fit to ride?" repeated Link.

"What did I just say, you ungrateful little-" Link help up his hand, cutting Ingo short of his insult.

"I am actually here from Ganondorf himself. I was sent to check on the ranch and this horse. My job was to see if Epona was truly fit to be the beast that Ganondorf would use as his personal mount, and I must say, I'm sure that there is no animal too wild that cannot be tamed by his majesty." Link inwardly gagged at those words, but he continued anyway. "I was told to act convincing as someone against Ganondorf, and that I myself wanted the beast. More or less, it was a test of loyalty, to see if you really did support the king's rule, and if you were open to selling the horse to any other potential buyers." Link paced around, hoping that Ingo would not see through his ruse. "I would say you passed the test."

Although he was skeptical, Ingo fell for the trap. He agreed that it would be wise to see if the horse was still able to be ridden. Ingo sent Link to the stables with Epona to have the servant, Malon, ready the equipment. When Link arrived, Malon was nowhere to be seen. Link was a little thankful for that, as he didn't want any chance of his master plan to be blown away. He dug around the stables until he found suitable equipment.

[Saddle, bridle, reigns and blanket. Check all of the above. Am I missing anything?] Link searched some more for anything he might have forgotten, but he didn't think so. Epona seemed more than a little scared, but she also seemed to know what Link was planning, and willing to go along with it.

Satisfied with his handy work at readying Epona, Link led the animal out of the stables and into the bright sunshine of his almost-crazy-hopeless scheme.

* * *

Ghirahim sighed. He had laid down in the grass and had his back leaning against the outer wall of LonLon Ranch. He refused to enter that stink hole, as he had done so before, and it made his skin itch with discomfort. The only half pleasant thing there was Malon, and she opposed Ganondorf, therefore Ghirahim as well.

[But am I much different? In these seven years, the only thing he could do to take away any more of my freedom would be to change me back into my weapon form, and I don't think he knows how to do that. It all started with that day when he took the Triforce from me...what right did he have? I haven't forgiven him for forcing the light to leave my body. I-] Ghirahim blinked a few times and stared up at the clouds moving above. {What am I thinking? I'm a demon. I shouldn't place myself down in the ranks of Hylians. Light...what do I care anyway?] But Ghirahim did care.

He was waiting for Link to come out of the ranch, but he thought maybe this was a lost cause trying to overhear information. Link had been in the temple for seven years, he would know nothing of important matters!

Ghirahim was just about to transport himself back to the tower's dungeon to soothe his aching nerves when he heard angry shouting from behind the wall, and the screeching of cuckoos and horses as well. Following these sounds was a large shadow that passed over Ghirahim's head. Confused, he looked up and let out a small gasp as the form of a horse blocked the sun for a few seconds and continued soaring over the wall of the ranch. When the horse was more that a silhouette against the sun, Ghirahim's eyes went wide as he registered that there was a man riding the escaping horse, and that man just so happened to be none other than the hero he had been waiting for.

"Aaaaaahhhh!" Ghirahim hear Link scream as the horse neared the ground. The red colored animal hit the earth with a thud and instead of stopping, it just kept of running towards the entrance to Gerudo Valley.

[Now _this_ is worth stalking.] Ghirahim teleported himself into the ranch and found himself planted right in front of the bubbling idiot, Ingo.

"I require a horse, now." Ghirahim glared daggers at the man he towered over, but the man seemed not to notice.

"So now you need a beast as well? You are you to think that you can just-"

"I am your worst nightmare." Ghirahim spat at the disgraceful man and then walked up to a dark gray horse and proceeded to place himself upon the animal's back. He did not need a saddle to ride, and he too charged over the wall of the ranch in hopes of catching up with Link.

"Ganondorf will hear about this!" Ingo shouted from the other side of the wall, as Ghirahim's new horse had already scaled that obstacle. But, Ghirahim no longer cared about that matter.

* * *

**A/N: I hope you enjoyed this! I had planned that for a while to have Link steal Epona! Now you'll have to wait and see what happens when I come back to this subject.  
**

**Tune is next time to see Link in his underpants! *is kidnapped by Link*  
**

**Me: :# eelp!  
**

**Link: You're not going anywhere until you agree to keep my clothes one!  
**

**Me: ...I make no promises. T.T  
**


	13. On Edge

**A/N: First off, I want to thank all of you for waiting so patiently! I'm sorry that this took a while, but I can't spend _all_ my time on Fanfiction. Only 97% of it. **

**And just to get this out of the way, I don't think I'll be having Ghirahim calling Link 'Forestchild' anymore. I didn't like the way it looked, sounded, or anything about it really. When I thought of it, I found it to be really clever, because he calls him 'Skychild', but I just did not like it one bit after the first few times of using it. Just thought I'd let you guys know!**

* * *

Link stared with wide eyes at the scene before him. He had just now realized where he was headed. There was sand mixed in with the grass, and the rocks started to turn a red-brown in color. He was heading towards Gerudo Valley. Remembering past experiences, he wasn't too keen on returning to the hostile environment. Though... the Gerudo had never attacked him, they had only sent him away. But, that was when he didn't have the body of an adult. But the main reason he was reluctant to enter the desert was the fact that Ganondorf was one of the Gerudo tribe.

As he neared the bridge, Link brought Epona to a halt. He needed to let her rest for a while, as she was starting to limp a bit. Link looked over her body, checking her breathing rate, and scars to make sure she wasn't bleeding anywhere.

In the distance, Link hear the distinct sound of hooves racing over sand. He would know, as he had just done so himself. Looking over him shoulder, he saw nothing. But the sound was coming closer as the seconds went past. Hurriedly, Link led Epona over to a small opening in the rock wall. It was not very spacious inside, as there was barely enough room for the two of them. Link tired to make this as comfortable for Epona as possible, but he assumed that it wasn't working too well.

Stealing horses was not a wise thing to do. Even when it was more of a rescue. But getting caught after stealing a horse... Link didn't think it would be very easy to save Hyrule behind bars. Or... Ghirahim was most likely the one who saw to misdeeds, so Link might never see the cell.

Shuddering at the thought of the demon, Link tried very hard to keep both himself, and Epona quiet.

When the horse Link had heard came into view, the rider was blocked from sight by the height of the entrance to the small alcove Link was shoved into. Hearing an almost-familiar voice, Link froze, minimizing his breathing. He tried to match a face with the voice, but he just could not place it.

"Where could he have gone?" inquired the unseen speaker to no one in particular. "Well, he couldn't have gotten far. Not with a crippled beast and the broken bridge." Link waited for the man to disappear, leave, to do anything about getting away from Link's hiding spot. But to his dismay, Link was stuck in the tiny hole with someone most possibly dangerous waiting on the outside.

* * *

Ghirahim looked up into the blazing sun. Why did the desert seem so much brighter? He even wasn't that far from the fields. A few miles at most. Sighing, Ghirahim got down from his stolen steed and walked around the sandy clearing, checking the nooks in the rock walls, blowing away suspiciously large mounds of sand, and he even blew up a few rock piles for good measure.

But his target was still yet to be found. And he had a horse of all things as well! How good was this child...

[I will find you. And mark my words, you _will_ regret it.]

* * *

Link held in his breath. It was _him_. The sadistic psychopathy from the Temple of Time. Not that he knew much about him, but he figured from when the guy had tried to kill him that one time.

Carefully as to not make any noise, Link crammed himself even further back into the small hiding hole. Epona snorted, and Ghirahim's head snapped in their direction. Link's eyes went very wide indeed. Ghirahim took long strides over to where Link was, and Link squeezed his eyes shut, unable to see if he would be found or not.

Link could hear the individual footsteps as Ghirahim's boots scuffed over the sand, and Link was prepared for the worst.

* * *

Ghirahim stuck his head into the opening, straining to see through the low light. And what he saw...the corner of his mouth rose in a victorious smirk, and his eyes blazed with a hungry fire.

"Hello Link..." Ghirahim chuckled as he watched the boy squirm at the sound of his voice. It seemed he had not forgotten their last encounter all those long years ago. "Oh, we have some unfinished business to attend to, don't we?" Ghirahim backed slightly out of the hole, and summoned his sword into his hand. Just as he was preparing to blow the rock wall away though, a sound whistled through the air, as if something heavy was falling, falling...

Ghirahim jumped back just in time for a considerably immense boulder to implant itself deeply in the sand where he had stood just a moment before. Ghirahim looked up to see a young woman with dark skin and fiery red hair staring down at him.

"I thought we had made ourselves clear the last time you were here!" she shouted from up on the edge of the cliff.

Ghirahim only glared at her from the ground far below her. Pesky Gerudo...they seemed to always interfere at the most inappropriate of times. But of course, they seemed to never care for much beyond themselves...

"We don't want to see you, or Ganondorf here again, here me?" bellowed the Gerudo into the wind.

Ghirahim thought about transporting the boulder above the woman's head and letting it crush her, but he then realized that Link was still behind the rock, and he wouldn't be going anywhere anytime soon. Tapping his fingers on the rough surface of the stone, Ghirahim looked back to the Gerudo who still stood tall and angry up above. He then turned his full attention to the stone and the figure behind it.

"Well, it seems that I am unable to reach you now. We'll have to settle things later, when you get out. Or, _if_ you ever do." Ghirahim spoke to the wall, not knowing that Link could hear him through the small seam between the boulder and wall, but doing so anyway.

Laughing to himself, Ghirahim turned and climbed onto the back of the gray horse that had wandered only a small distance away. Giving one last heartfelt glare at the boulder, Ghirahim nudged his horse into a run, and rode away from the accursed desert.

* * *

Link had managed to slip past Epona and was pounding his fists against the large stone that had fallen in front of the entrance to his little hole. While thankful for the unexpected fall of this giant hunk of rock for blocking Ghirahim from reaching the hole, Link was no longer able to get out. And he would have to think of something quickly, because sooner or later, his air would run out.

Honestly though, Link was more worried for Epona's sake than his own. How long could she last in this cramped position? She started looking worse with each passing minute, and Link didn't exactly know anything about nursing people back to heath. Let alone for a horse.

* * *

Shira watched as Ghirahim sped off back in the direction of Hyrule. She knew that she hadn't scared him away, and that he's probably be back sooner or later, but she honestly didn't care right now. She was much more interested in who or what was in this rock that the demon had been interested in enough to talk threats to.

Jumping down from her perch on the cliff, she smoothly landed in the warm sands below. She was smart enough to know that although she had managed to push the boulder off the cliff, she wouldn't be able to move it from it's current position partially buried in the sand. She reached into the small sling at her waist and pulled out a small, yet powerful, bomb.

She lit the fuse with the tools from her sling and set the bomb in the sand next to the boulder. Stepping back into a safe area, she watched as the sparks traveled down the fuse in anxious suspense and then finally reached the base of the fuse.

The results were satisfying to the young Gerudo. The bomb went off with a moderately loud band, and caused the rock to explode into millions of chunks, all of them flying off in different directions. She ducked behind a small boulder next to her, and waited out the after-effects of the explosion.

When all had settled, she silently approached the burnt and jagged rock wall to see now that the small entrance to the tiny cave was now much larger in size. She also saw a scorched and very confused-looking man standing wide-eyed at the entrance. He seemed to stare not at the Gerudo, but through her instead, unable to comprehend what exactly had just happened.

"Oi, what are you doing in there?" Shira asked, not caring that this man could have possibly died just now.

"I...I..." the man was clearly unstable. He brought his hand up to his head and scratched his scalp under his strange floppy hat. There was a small chime sound and a small blue orb flew out of his hat. And, looking closer, Shira could see a horse back there. This situation just kept getting stranger by each passing second.

Shaking his head, the man seeded to get his bearings together. "I'm Link." He said finally.

"Well, _Link_," She emphasized his peculiar name, "why do you have a horse crammed in there with you?" ignoring his question, she moved the conversation on.

"Oh, Epona?" Link looked back at the horse and Shira could see concern clouding his eyes. "I had to get her away from the ranch she was on. So I...stole her and just needed to get her away from that place. I didn't really see where I was going." He seemed to regret stealing the horse, but that wasn't any of her concern.

"That still does not explain why you were in here, or why that demon scum was following you." Shira narrowed her eyes at Link in an attempt to intimidate him. It may or may not have worked if he hadn't been shaken up by the explosion, but he was definitely being affected now.

"I don't know what the guy has against me. Really." He answered in a slightly wavering voice. Though for the most part, he seemed to be recovering.

[Good.] She thought, [They're much more fun when they resist.]

"Ya' know, I _really_ do hate to do this, but I'm afraid I have to take you with me." Shira raised her fine eyebrows at Link.

Swallowing the lump that had just formed in his throat, Link prepared for the worst. He didn't like the sound of the Gerudo's words. Not at all...

* * *

Ghirahim slammed the door behind him. Walking at a speedy pace, he quickly reached the only occupied cell in the entire maze-like dungeon. He pressed his face up to the bars of the iron door and peered inside, eying his pet prisoner.

He had come hoping to relieve his nerves, as he had arrived at the tower exceedingly angry for some reason. But looking into the cell at the broken, bruised boy, he could not bring himself to touch him. Not today.

He didn't understand what it was. He usually marveled at the sight of blood, and delighted in the sound of tortured screams of hellish pain, but at the moment...the though made him sick to his stomach.

Disgusted with himself, he sharply turned his face away from the sad sight before him. Growling, he bashed his fist into the wall across from the cell. Dust and small particles of stone fell from the ceiling as Ghirahim continued to brutally abuse the wall.

Ghirahim started shouting strange things at the walls he took his anger out on. He wasn't really able to be understood, as his words were distorted by the rage that filled his voice, and the sound of his beating of the stones. Mido huddled away into the corner of the way that his bed sat in, and he stared at the scene as much as he could through the bars on his door that limited his view. But the noise was enough to give him a clear picture of what was happening. And Mido was scared. Not for himself, but for Ghirahim. He himself had gone through so much already, but Ghirahim...even though he deserved it, mental pain was the worst possible torture, and Mido didn't wish it on anyone, not even those who had wronged him.

* * *

**A/N: Mido has returned! But that's nothing compared to the real problem I'm confronted with.  
**

**We never saw Link in his underwear! D: What a horrible thing! What has happened to this world that Link refuses to be seen in Triforce printed boxers? D: It's terrible people.  
**


	14. Unexpected

**A/N: DO NOT MURDER ME I AM NEEDED ALIVE BY MY FAMILY! O_O  
**

**I say that because...this never happened. Ever. I wanted to change it up, so I did. This isn't a novelization, so if you were hoping for that, I suggest you go find one that says that it's a novelization of the game. I rather like the results of this chapter, and I can only hope that you do as well. Though it did give me quite some grief, as when I was uploading it to my Doc. manager, all the lines were separate paragraphs, and it was a complete mess...but now I have fixed it! :D**

* * *

Blankly staring at the stone and clay ceiling of the little prison he had been thrown into, Link let out another exaggerated sigh. He was incredibly bored out of his skill. What had possessed that Shira to punish him for hiding behind a rock?! Not only that, but they had taken Epona as well. Link didn't know where the Gerudos were keeping her, but he couldn't very well find out at the moment.

Constantly, Link almost screamed from the lack of noise coming though the small openings to the prison. The winds didn't make much sound when they scurried over the sand dunes, and the women were almost eerily silent. Practically no words were spoken between the Gerudo.

Link angrily eyed the wooden flap hanging above the window-like hole. After maybe three hours of being locked in there, he had determined that he could use his Hookshot to spring out, but then reality hit, and he remembered that his pouch, sword and shield had been taking from him when he first entered the fortress.

Silently cursing the wooden flap, and the Gerudo women, Link thumbed his head against the floor. He was lying down, and had nothing better to do than just lay there, taking deep breaths to soothe his anger at the situation.

And the worst part of it all, was that he didn't know where Navi was. She had flown off somewhere in search of help. But Link really just needed her company right now.

Hearing the distinct sound of shoes strutting across the surface above him, Link called out to whatever woman was up there.

"Are you really so cruel as to let me suffer down here forever?" He whined.

"Afraid so." Came the reply. Link sighed again. It was Shira up there. He knew because she was the only one who ever responded to him. She also like to come by and torment him every few hours.

"You don't understand! I can't stay down here!"

"I'm sure it won't be that difficult to keep you down there. I'm just glad you put up such a fight getting in." Link could hear the smirk in her voice.

"No, you don't understand! I have to go back to Hyrule! How am I supposed to save a country from the bottom of a pit in the middle of nowhere!?" Slightly enraged, Link hollered at the ceiling.

Silence met his words before Shira hesitantly started to speak again. "...save Hyrule?"

"Yeah, I'm the supposed hero of Hyrule." Link groaned.

Suddenly, Link saw Shira's face pop into view through the hole in the ceiling. The two stared at the other for a while before, "You don't look very much like a hero to me."

"That may have something to do with being trapped down here without any of my equipment." Sighing again, Link looked hard at Shira, begging her with his eyes to understand what he was trying to tell her and let him go free.

Shira sighed herself and asked a question Link was surprised to heat from the Gerudo. "Does saving Hyrule have something to do with Ganondorf?"

Link swallowed the lump that formed in his throat at the sound of that name. He didn't want to answer her, for he knew that Ganondorf was the only male Gerudo around, and the Gerudos would probably kill him for fighting against their leader.

"Well?" Shira cocked a fine eyebrow at Link. She could see how uncomfortable this question was making him, and she assumed he was thinking exactly what she wanted him to.

"...yes. It has a lot to do with Ganondorf." The two stared at each other for a while longer, and then Shira disappeared behind the ceiling again. [Probably to go find someone of a higher rank to get permission to kill me...] Not feeling very optimistic, Link figured the worst.

It was perhaps an hour later when anyone came back to the prison. Link didn't know whether to be scared or thankful that he wasn't alone anymore, but when he saw that Shira was in the group of four, he decided that he should probably be worried.

They had lowered a rope to let him climb up, and Link couldn't have gotten up faster than if a bomb had been about to go off down there.

"You said your name was 'Link,' yes?" inquired the Gerudo in front. Her dark red clothes were heavily decorated with golden-colored gems and beads. The other women wore similar clothes, but in violet, and Shira was wearing blue. Out of all the women, Link found Shira to be the prettiest. Not that the others weren't attractive, but something about the way her hair flowed down her back in its ponytail and partially covered her face was striking to Link. He thought that-

"It you're done staring, it would be nice if you would answer the question." Shira smirked at Link, who blushed profusely at being caught. He didn't know what had come over him, as he had never felt anything like _that_ towards a woman before.

"Uhh...yes." Link had forgotten the question, but remembered that 'yes' was the answer. The women looked as if they figured he was only guessing.

"Well, _Link_," It seemed that the Gerudo had a thing for saying his name in an odd tone.

"I was surprised to hear that you were fighting against Ganondorf." said the women in red.

"That isn't what I exactly said..." Started Link.

"But you implied it." accused one of the women wearing violet.

"Hush, Ranoa." scolded the one in red. Ranoa averted her gaze to the ground. "My name," she continued, "is Aveil. And I'm curious as to why you think that the people of Hyrule can't deal with Ganondorf themselves."

Staring to see if she was testing him or not, Link stayed quiet for a bit too long past Aveil's patience. She gave him a swift whack to the head with her spear, and Link started to see stars dance around his vision.

Taking on a serious attitude, Link's expression darkened. "Because Ganondorf is a lying pig!" he spat. "He murdered the king, and destroyed the lives of the Hylians! And he has cursed the other tribes as well! How could I allow his evil to hurt anyone else!?" Link's face had turned red with anger toward the Desert King, and he didn't care how the Gerudo reacted at that moment. All he knew was that he _needed_ to defeat the scum currently siting on the throne to the land.

Aveil said nothing, and neither did the other women. They only gave Link unreadable looks. "...send him to my chambers after you get him some water." At that, Avail turned and disappeared into the fortress. Shira stayed behind as the other two women followed Aveil.

"...what is she going to do with me?" Link was still fairly upset, but some worry had crept into his mind at the thought of being in an enclosed space with a supporter of who he had just spewed hatred towards.

"Don't ask me, I haven't got a clue." Shira reached into her satchel and pulled out what looked like a dried animal organ that was ripped apart and sewn back together a time or two. Link didn't like the idea of drinking from such a distorted water-skin, but his dry throat screamed to take what he could.

As the crisp, cool liquid flowed from the water-skin and down Link's parched throat, he felt almost instant relief. He continued to drink until he had to shake the container for more water. Some drops trickled down his chin, and he even licked those up. Shira made a face at his attempts to quench his thirst, and eventually couldn't hold her laughter in any longer.

"You are one strange man, you are." came her voice. Link couldn't help but think how soothing the sound of her laughter was. It definitely was a relief to hear after all the silence he went through the past few days.

"There you go again, staring off in space. The space around me, nonetheless." Link felt his cheeks go red again as he was caught in his daze. He still didn't know why that happened. perhaps it was an effect that came with adulthood. He did skip seven years of his life, so he had no way of knowing what growing up was like. It was all shoved at him, and he hated how he had been taken advantage of, but he knew that it was for the good of Hyrule, and he wanted to save them, but he still didn't like the idea of his childhood being stolen.

"I think you're ready to go. I trust you enough to not run off anywhere, so I won't put any restraints on you. Although...the though of you on a leash is rather tempting..." Shira smirked and silently giggled at her words, but Link was horrified. He wasn't sure why she seemed so excited about the leash, but Link didn't want to be treated like some animal!

That's what he needed, public humiliation. Yeah, right.

* * *

Link hesitantly followed Shira through the fortress. The guards all turned to stare at Link as he walked past, and something in their eyes made Link rather uncomfortable. It looked like anger, or a hunger for blood to be spilled. But sometimes Link would catch a glimpse of hope behind the rage that clouded the yellow eyes of the Gerudo.

Winding around many different passages, and perhaps eve going through the same corridor a time or two, the pair finally make it to a heavily decorated room where silk draped from the walls, and a thick red rug was laid on the sandy floor. There were numerous piles of gems and gold, and stacks of expensive-looking garments.

"Glad you could make it." Aveil smiled from her seat at the end of the room, where there was a large cushioned chair that looked large enough to fit three of four people. "You can leave now, Shira." Shira bowed slightly and turned to leave. Link almost wished she would stay, as he believed that if she were here, not too much harm could be done to him.

"Don't just stand there all rigid, you look like you could fall over at the slightest touch. Sit anywhere you like." Link looked about the floor, and his eye caught on a silver-lined green cushion, and he sat on the soft surface. But his position wasn't very helpful to his nerves, as Aveil was now above him, and he had to look up to see her face. She was very intimidating from this angle.

In a burst of courage, Link found his voice, and spoke boldly to the Gerudo. "I don't care what you might think, I'm not taking back what I said about Ganondorf. You can do anything you want to me, but I know he's evil, and must be stopped at all costs." Link stared at Aveil from his seat on the floor, and although he seemed to be a scared brat just minutes before, Aveil could see determination and strength in him.

Leaning in closer to Link, Aveil whispered in his ear, "I'd be upset if you did care. I admire your courage, standing up to me when you know I hold your life in my hands. But perhaps you've gone too far. I think punishment in is order..." Link's eyes widened at her words and jumped up off of his pillow as Aveil swung two curved blades where Link had been sitting only moments before.

She rushed at him with a battle cry, but Link back-flipped out-of-the-way. As he was in mid-flip, he was thinking of how awesome that was. That is until he slipped on a pile of red and purple rupees as he landed. On the floor, he was wide open and vulnerable. Aveil stabbed at him, but he rolled to his left and dashed over to the wall where there was another of these curved swords.

Ready this time, Link met Aveil head on when she came for him. There was a loud clang as their swords scraped the others. Though Link was at a disadvantage, as he only had one sword to Aveil's two.

He still seemed to be doing well anyway, but the knowledge of her advantage was frightening. Link pushed Aveil back a few steps before she jumped high into the air and did a flip over Link and landed on the over-sized chair. She pointed one sword at Link, and beckoned him with her other hand. Link took the bait, and rushed at her, falling into the trap.

Avail swiftly turned and spun around Link, and scraped his back with her two blades. As Link grunted in pain, she wrapped her arms around Link and held his arms to his chest so as to stop him from attacking as Aveil taunted him.

"You should know better than to take a taunt..."

"And you should know better than to taunt a hero." Aveil's eyes widened as Link rapidly bent over and managed to flip Aveil over him and land on her back. Link quickly took advantage of her pause on the floor at put his sword to her exposed neck. He remembered the fight he had with Sheik, and how this was almost an exact copy of their position. Except, instead of anger flooding her eyes, Aveil was laughing.

Confused, Link narrowed his eyes at Aveil. Why was she laughing? He could kill her? Was she that insane? Link looked around to see many spears pointed all toward his face. There were possibly ten Gerudo surrounding him as he knelt over their leader. So she was laughing because Link really had no hope of surviving anyway...

Abruptly, Aveil stopped her laughter. "Do you really have to point those? I never called any of you. Back down!" Aveil barked her orders, and the women lowered their spears, although Link was sure that it was no accident that one of them snagged his tunic, causing it to rip slightly.

"That goes for you too." Aveil's yellow eyes pierced into Link's blue ones. "I admit defeat, I promise I won't try anything." waiting only a second or two, Link allowed Aveil to stand, but he still watched for any sings of unwanted movement.

"You all can leave us. I don't require protection." As the other women filed out of the room, Aveil turned to Link. "I'm surprised. Not many Hylains would stand up to us. Especially men." Aveil smirked at Link, and continued after her pause. "It took courage to do what you did. And so, I am making you a member of the Gerudo tribe! You'll be allowed safe passage through the fortress whenever you please."

Link was dumbfounded. He was being made a member of the Gerudo tribe? Just for almost killing their leader? This had to be some form of trickery...

"But...why? Aren't you angry about what I said about Ganon-"

"Ganondorf," spat Aveil, "abandoned us. He went to Hyrule to make a treaty with the king, so that we might be better off. Living in the desert isn't easy. But he took over Hyrule, and left us for dead. He promised that he would make an agreement with the king to give us supplies, but as soon as he sat on that throne, he forgot about his people. And to make things worse, strange things have been happening in the Spirit Temple, and we're sure that it's his doing. So Nabooru left to go check things out, but she hasn't returned. It's been six years..." Aveil trailed off, and Link was astonished at how passionate she was.

"Who...who is Nabooru, exactly?" Link asked.

"Nabooru, is the one who left me in charge. She was second in command to Ganondorf. But since he abandoned us, she was put in his place. But now she's gone too..."

* * *

Sheik stood atop the windmill of Kakariko Village, looking down as the villagers went about their daily chores and tasks. But he wasn't really paying any attention to the people down below. His mind was wandering around his own task.

He had visited Death Mountain every day now for the past five days, and things were getting worse by the hour. Ganondorf had to be taken down, at all costs. But if the hero never showed his face where the sages were waiting to be awoken, then Hyrule would eventually crumble under his leadership.

Sheik jumped down to the damp earth and started walking towards the graveyard. Passing numerous tombstones with the names the forgotten, and the lost, he reached the spot where the secret entrance to the royal family's grave was. He crouched down low, and sprung high into the air. He landed on the ledge over-looking the cemetary, and was hidden from view by fog and magic. Not that anyone was watching.

The air chilled slightly as Sheik entered the temple that was hidden above the buried dead. As he walked the halls of the old, sacred house of the Sheikah, Sheik heard the whispers of the ancient spirits calling out to him, beckoning him into the heart of the temple. Sheik ignored their calls, their whispers, and took the secret path he had memorized many years ago.

He entered a large, circular room from a door hidden to all eyes that strayed from the truth. The walls were bare, save for the one wall at the most northern part of the circle. A large, glistening blade hung on the wall, and Sheik was immediately drawn to its beautiful and intimidating features. It was dark in color, and had a glorified hilt. There was a red tint to the glossy surface, but that was from the fire that had lit in the skulls around the room when Sheik had first walked in.

Sheik lifted a finger and placed it on the polished surface. Instantly, he drew it back as his flesh met with an overwhelming heat. It seemed that he still was not yet ready to wield such a treasure. The sword had been passed down through the generations as the Sheikah's greatest treasure. No rumors had ever spread of its glory, as it was so sacred to the Sheikah, that its name was never spoken outside of the room it stayed in.

Discouraged that he was unable to touch the sword, Sheik briskly turned to the very center of the room, where an altar sat. It had been said that live sacrificed had taken place there, and that all of the spirits wandering the temple had died on that altar, but the practice had ended long before Sheik had come about. But the blood never stopped flowing, not for seven years. And Sheik knew that it could sense something was wrong, very wrong indeed. The spirits were angry, and would not stop their rage until something changed...but Sheik was not about to let that happen. Not for a while anyway.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you all for reading through the fourteenth chapter, and I hope to see you again in the next installment! ^-^ You all make me so happy! Except you, no, not you, the guy next to you. Yeah, that guy you just turned to look at? Him. He's the one...*.* **

**Oh, and I wanted to mention that Link was probably in the prison for five or six days with minimal amounts of water and food being brought to him. If you think that's too long, I cannot change what is written in 0's and 1's. (total lie X|)**


	15. Empty with Doubt

**A/N: Here it is, the chapter that I have been working on for the past six years. O.o This is the reason I wrote the story to begin with...now that it's over...I have no purpose. ;_; Live on without me. Live long, and prosper...**

**Okay, so ignoring all of that above, this chapter is relatively short compared to my recent works. Not including the author notes, it just barely gets over 1,000 words. **

**And for you die-hard Ghira fans out there, what _is_ in this chapter is mostly about him. I do a little tying up of with Link just from chapter, and then it moves on to more mental-Ghira moments! Hope you like those, as I see more in the future...if you do not, please do not hesitate to speak your opinion!**

* * *

Wandering around Hyrule Field, Link was looking for a quiet place to rest. Not that most of Hyrule Field wasn't a good place to lie down for a moment, but Link wanted a spot sitting in the shade. After he had found such a place in the small grove of trees in the southern part of the fields, Link thought over the events of the last few days.

He still found it hard to believe that the Gerudo would be against their only male, and king by law. Not to mention that they had left him go free. Still a little uneasy about the entire situation, Link worried a little about Epona. She was the reason he had gotten into that mess in the first place. But the Gerudo had said that she would be in good care with them, and Link really had no other choice but to believe them.

Link had also been pleasantly surprised to find that all of his equipment had been clean while in custody of the Gerudo. He really didn't like the blood staining the items, but he was really just too lazy to do it himself. He figured that they would just get dirty again soon anyway.

After a while of staring into the sky, Link decided that it would be best to go visit Death Mountain. Although the Gorons were a mostly peaceful and friendly tribe, the name of the mountain still didn't make it a place Link was all too eager to visit. At least he would be able to see his 'brothers.'

Now shuddering at the thought of receiving a hug from the massive leader of the Gorons, Link sprinted across the field.

* * *

Link was heavily panting and shaken up by the time night fell across the world. He would never learn that running everywhere was not of the brightest of ideas…

Flopping down in the cool evening grass, Link cherished how the emerald blades tickled his arms and face. Yes, he much preferred the billowing fields over the endless sands any day.

Twinkling sounds could be heard from past Link's field of vision, but sleep was calling for him, and he was all too prepared for the sweep bliss of dreams to notice.

* * *

All was quiet in the tower as Ghirahim descended the stairs leading into the dungeon. He had no other purpose to be there, except that he had grown rather fond of the hallway outside of the cell with the small child inside. Over the years, even Ghirahim himself had almost forgotten why he kept the boy in the first place. Now it was just for his nerves when he needed something to take his anger out on, but why had he captured the boy? What had he done?

Ghirahim practically slithered down the wall and sat leaning on it across from the call. With his chin in his palm, he racked his brain for the answer he was looking for. Like a cold, frozen ball of snow to the face, the answer hit Ghirahim with a great and powerful force.

It had been because Link had come from the forest. Yes, everything seemed to tie into that one, vexatious child of the goddesses. And even he was related to that Skychild from Ghirahim's world.

Ghirahim was positive that he had somehow jumped _forward_ in time all those years ago, and he was beginning to doubt that he'd ever make it back to his own time. This land, this culture, it was almost foreign to Ghirahim. He was only wasting precious time here, time that could be spent searching for the key to reviving his master. But now he was stuck in this unknown world, serving a half-witted copy of the original.

Running a bare hand through his hair, Ghirahim let out a deep, much-needed sigh. He had to get away…if only for a day. He needed a change in his life for a while. He glanced at the door that stood like a barrier in front of him. He knew it was hopeless… his life would never change. He would be compelled to serve Ganondorf for the rest of the Dark King's days, and after that…not even the goddesses could give him an answer if they wanted to.

Tenderly, Ghirahim removed himself from the cold floor and unlocked the door. Upon entering, his eyes snapped to the heap of green and orange that was huddled on the bed. The boy appeared to be asleep, and Ghirahim didn't want him awake for what he was about to do.

Slowly, Ghirahim walked up to the side of the torn bed. He made no noise as he crossed the filthy cell. The hard part was placing himself of the bed without disturbing the boy. When he had settled on the infested mattress, Ghirahim reached for the child. Ghirahim gingerly scooped the boy into his arms. So innocent…Ghirahim had never bothered to learn his name. For what use did Ghirahim have of it if he was never going to use it?

Ghirahim hugged the boy to his chest, and his body started shaking with silent, dry sobs. The pain…he didn't understand. He felt empty, as if nothing had a purpose anymore. He knew that was a lie...so why did he feel so broken?

* * *

Mido's eyes were wide with fear. He hadn't noticed the demon's presence until Ghirahim had wrapped his arms around Mido's small frame. At first, he almost screamed, but then figured it best to pretend to still be sleeping. He kept his breathing under control, but his eyes remained wide and wild.

He continued to anticipate the feeling of a blade piercing his skin, but no such force came. After a while of just sitting there, Mido began to feel something lightly move across his head. Ghirahim was…petting him? He didn't understand, and wouldn't want to even if he could know the reason for the demon's sudden tenderness.

The press of warm skin and the soft feeling of his hair being messed with drove Mido mad, but still he relaxed in the arms of Ghirahim. He felt sleep calling to him, and no matter how hard he tried to stay alert for any sign of change, Mido had to finally give into the call.

* * *

**A/N: Gah! Ghirahim needs a hug! Come 'ere Ghira...*hugs* ...this may be a while. X3**

**And a BIG thank you to my wonderful sister, who so graciously put up with my writing to edit this! If not for her, I would have looked back on this chapter and been horrified that I let you read it in that state! But now it is good, and I am happy! And I know she is too! And I can only hope that your world is filled with rainbows, chocolate and bunnies! Unless you don't like that stuff. Then perhaps blood, darkness, and fire are your happy thoughts. Though I don't know if people so demented are reading this. O.o But I like the demented ones! :D  
**


	16. The Dead's Image

**A/N: *gasps* I'm back! I bet you didn't know I had left!**

**Yes, I had gown away for a weekend in April. 12-14th exactly. Where was I? Do you care? I don't know the answer to the second question! :D But I can tell you that I was in Chicago. And that my weekend was so pumped up and amazingly consuming, and it kind of stole room for any other inspiration to happen in any other area of my life. Writing being one of the 'other areas.' I had planned to post this 16th chapter on my 16th birthday, but I was late due to it not being done. :I (XD But how cool would that have been?)**

* * *

Sheik opened his eyes in a flash. His skin was warm and sticky. He struggled to lift his arm, but when he did, he noticed that the member was soaked in blood. Hurridly, Shiek rose to his knees and turned around. He had fallen alseep at the base of the bleeding alter. Ruby eyes looked over the alter, trying to decipher what the spirits were trying to say.

Although there was not an exit from the temple anywhere nearby, Sheik felt a cold wind fill the room. It lifted up the long braid that fell dwon his back, and his bangs tangled in his eyes more than normal.

Around the room, one by one, the skulls that stood on pillers lit up with a black flame. Voices of a thousand dead whispered in Sheik's ears, all telling his the same thing.

_You are not welcome here..._

Sheik ignored the whispers and callings. Of course they would try to scare him away...they thought that they knew everything. Sheik knew thought that this was not the case. ...but still.

Perhaps it was Ghirahim...perhaps the spirits knew of Sheik's secret affiliation with the demon. But there were far worse things found within these walls of darkness and suffering. Why would they punish him for nothing...?

Sheik decided to not think of it. He sat up, trying to ignore the blood staining his clothes and hair. The smell of copper filled Sheik's nostrils, and a rining filled his ears. He had to get away from this room...the black sword on the north wall still a constand reminder of how he wasn't accepted. Even the only other remaining Sheikah, Impa, had deserted him.

Sheik hung his head. This life...something needed to change. Although the hero, Link, was useful and dedicated to the cause, he was slow. Sheik needed things to be done fast. His personality had never been a patient one. Something needed to be done about Link. He needed something to push him along faster.

There was a rumbling in the floors, and Sheik ,anaged to keed his balance amongst the shaking and trembling. Particles of dirt fell from the ceiling, and the walls moaned in protest to the quaking of the earth. Deciding that now would be a good time to leave the temple Sheik crept out unseen.

But that was strange. The creatures that made their home in the House of the Dead were usually much more aware of their surroundings. Even for a Sheikah, slipping past so easily was not particularly a good sign.

[They must sense something...] Sheik looked back into the temple over his shoulder. The entrance seemed to be getting smaller and smaller the longer Sheik stood there. More moans and creaks could be heard, and a piercing scream rang in Sheik's ears. Sheik did not wish to linger any longer in this place. Even if it was the only home the Sheikah had ever known, the place still was unwelcoming. The tribe had a past covered in blood and soaked in betrayal. Why did they serve the royal family...it was so obvious that in the past, if they had wanted to, the Sheikah could have overthrown those in power. And the anger found within these temple walls suggested that they would have jumped at the chance...so what stopped them?

It seemed best to not dwell on the past. Especially the past that one did not take part of. Sheik completely exited the temple, coming out above the graveyard in the back of Kakariko Village. Looking past the graves, Sheik could see a green blob strutting around the small village. So. It seemed that the hero had shown after all.

Sheik figured that he should make his way to the mountain then. If the hero got there first, he would be utterly lost. That boy...for that was what he was, wasn't he? Still just a small boy from the forest. Only now his body was seven years older. Sheik narrowed his red eyes at the hero. He still seemed too young to face what had been set forth for him. The goddesses played their twisted game they liked to call 'fate,' and they cared not who was dragged into its deadly torrent. All that mattered to them was that they got to enjoy their little game. Seeing a hero struggle against a merciless man that they placed into the world. But if their 'good toy' lost, then they became angry and cursed the people.

A sick joke. That was all life was to the gods, Sheik was sure of it. That was why he chose to play for neither side. He would not be used like some helpless pawn. And that was the reason he seemed to wish for Ghirahim's life. Because the demon had shown similar signs of rebellion against the gods. He had appeared unexpectedly, had he not?

Images of Ghirahim started to then flood the young warrior's mind. Sheik sank to his knees. It was as if he could _feel_ the gaze of the demon lord upon his skin right then...he felt exposed, and defiled looking into those deep drown eyes. Endless years of hatred danced within them, and Sheik could not shove the picture from his mind. It was if Ghirahim were standing right there next to him, among the tombs and mud. But as Sheik looked around, he saw no one. But he could still feel it...the piercing gaze. As if Ghirahim could see past his skin, and knew his very core.

Shuddering at the thought, Sheik knew he had to be extra cautious as he climbed Death Mountain. He did not want to be seen by anyone, not when he was about to help the hero. If he were caught...he cold only imagine the torture Ghirahim would force him to endure for his treachery.

Sheik cast one last glance over his shoulder into the darkness of the temple behind him. Blood red ruby eyes widened at what was seen.

In the darkness was a pale, shady copy of Sheik. Just standing there, staring right back at the Sheik standing outside the temple. The longer he stared, the more blurry Sheik's vision was becoming. There were no mirrors located in the temple...how was this happening? Sheik didn't like what was going on...not at all. Strange things were happening within those walls...

The image made a move to come closer, and Sheik dashed out of sight. He could not bear to stand in the presence of the dead any longer. They played tricks on his mind. Sheik made his way to the mountain. He knew that the hero would be there soon enough. It would be wise to arrive before him.

* * *

Ghirahim watched with eager eyes as Sheik climbed the perilous way to Death Mountain's peak. Although Sheik's motives as of late seemed to be more than a tad bit sketchy, Ghirahim wasn't concerned with what the young warrior did as of right now. If he wanted to put himself closer to an active volcano that seemed ready to unleash it's fiery anger any day now, then that was his problem, not Ghirahim's.

But...Ghirahim guessed that it was unfair to call Sheik a fool. After all, the demon lord himself was standing near the top of the mountain. The heat of the fires within the mountain was like pure bliss on his skin. It was as close as he could come to recreating that inner warmth that the Triforce had gifted him with. Narrowing his eyes at the memory of the sacred relic, Ghirahim sharply turned away from the blue form climbing the mountain. His gazed moved to the angry cloud of smoke and fire above him. Why was it that he wanted the Triforce so badly? He was the demon lord! He did not need such frivolous things to content himself. But...

Perhaps it was his nature. Ghirahim had a habit to want anything he couldn't have. And obtaining the Triforce was just another impossible task that he wanted to overcome. But for what? What would be the purpose? He could not think of anything he could do with the relic that he couldn't do on his own. Still...there was many mysteries about the sacred relic. None of the information regarding the relic seemed to be complete. There was always something missing...

Tired of looking at the swirling mass above him, Ghirahim looked back down the side of the mountain to see that the blue form was much larger than before. Ghirahim was surprised at how far the young warrior had climbed in such a short time. One could not deny that Sheik was talented in many ways. That did not mean though that Ghirahim had to like the warrior. Although...there were few people that Ghirahim could tolerate enough to _not_ always envision their sweet torment. Sheik being one of those few.

Ghirahim looked out onto the horizon. He had spent enough time warming his skin in the hot air of the mountain. Finding Link seemed to be a good idea. But Hyrule seemed almost endless sometimes; Ghirahim didn't know where to begin. He was unknowing of where Link would be going next. But an idea formed in Ghirahim's mind. He knew of at least one place Link would have to go. He knew this because he had ruined the place himself. He would set a trap for Link...and when he arrived, Ghirahim would know of it and could be there in a matter of moments.

It was possible though that it would be weeks before Link would show his face there, but it was better than having the itch to search there now and again. Yes, Ghirahim figured that this was the best plan. Go back to the tower, prepare his trap for the little hero, and then start a search. Brilliant. He transported himself away, puffs of blood red and pitch black diamonds remaining where he stood moments before.

* * *

Link sat on a loose boulder, a dead Tektite at his feet. Link never cared for the spidery monsters. They never cared for him much either, but that was beside the point. The sun was setting on Death Mountain, and it wasn't a good idea to climb at night. Strange things had started coming out after dark, and Link didn't want to run into anything he couldn't handle. He knew there were things that he wouldn't be able to defeat without some more training, and he didn't think that thrusting himself into unwanted danger any more than necessary was a good thing.

Link was in a small cavern in the side of the mountain. Much larger than the one he had been stuck in while in the desert, but it was no Hyrule Castle. Navi was sitting cross-legged on Link's shoulder, and she seemed to be inspecting her wings. Link smiled. Fairies all seemed so sweet and innocent because of their small, sparkling appearance. But Link knew the truth. Fairies were just like the Hylians, if tending to be a bit more mischievous. They all had different personalities ranging far and wide. Some of the people Link had met in his earlier years thou still held onto the stereotype of sweet and childlike. Navi had bitten a few of their fingers for thinking such things though.

Link chuckled at the memory of Talon having been one of the unlucky souls who tired to baby Navi. From what Malon had said, Talon had bled for hours and bruised pretty badly from that little fairy bite. Navi had smirked at the knowledge, but Link cringed. Now he thought it was humorous, but at the time he had felt guilty.

Navi nodded off on Link's shoulder, leaning on his neck as a support. Link himself felt sleep calling, and he gave in with little struggle to stay awake. He leaned back against the cave wall behind him, careful to not disturb Navi as he did so. His eyes fluttered, and he could not have kept them open if Hyrule depended on it. Images danced in his fading vision. None of them made any sense though, they all looked foreign and unreal.

Soon, Link had begun to snore lightly. Navi snuggled in closer to Link's warm skin, and the two of them slept the dark night away together. The master sword glowed softly in Link's hand, ready to strike anything at any sound that might wake him. But nothing ventured into the cave, and for that, Link was grateful.

* * *

**A/N: Aaah! Another shorter chapter! 8[]**

**At least this one was so pumped up on Sheik's awesomeness that I hope it made up for that! Please leave a review and have a wonderful day! :D**


	17. Beat the Heat

**A/N: Chapter 17 people! This chapter was used as bait for someone else to updatae, so sorry for the wait! At least you'll be happy to know that I got a good start on the next chapter! ^-^**

**To save you from confusion, Link the Goron will be referred to as Link-goro. It makes sense as it saves me from typing 'Link the Goron' or 'Goron Link' whenever I refer to him. **

* * *

Sheik stood as far from the pits of fire as he possibly could. The air was almost too hot to bear, even with his spell protecting him from the temperatures, but he had to wait for the hero to arrive so that he could relay his message to the boy. That hero never seemed to be on time, although Sheik was sure that he couldn't be too late, unless he had trouble climbing the mountain. Which could very well be the case.

Sighing, Sheik brushed the bangs away from his left eye. Sweat poured down his face and collected in the wrap that was sitting on his shoulders. He had removed it from his face along with the head wrap. They made the situation so much worse with them on.

Sheik looked at the ground beneath him. His feet were beginning to tire, but he knew the ground would be too hot to sit on. He looked over at a wooden beam sticking from the ground. It was tempting, but Sheik didn't know if it would burst into flames or not. It was a possibility…

Taking the chance, Sheik sat on the beam. It was warm, but Sheik was thankful for something at least. He did not want to stand forever waiting. His eyes started to flutter, and drowsiness started to overcome the warrior. Sheik knew that sleep was helpless in this place, but he tried to give in to sleep's call. Sitting there, he thought of how exactly he would confront the hero.

He could do as Ghirahim wanted and attack the boy again, but that didn't seem useful. Ghirahim didn't even know Sheik was here right now. There would be no point in attempting to harm the hero. In all honesty, he just wanted the hero to hurry through and defeat the evil lurking within the mountain.

Sighing, Sheik opened his eyes to see nothing but an angry red surrounding him. The fire was painful to look at, so Sheik again closed his eyes. He wished that the boy would just show his face so the he could leave his place.

* * *

Link dashed into the home at the very bottom of the Goron City. There was a broken vase by one of the tables in the large room, and the rug by the statue in the back was bunched up in the corners and wrinkled. It was as if the resident had left in a hurry…

Link let out a sound of frustration. He was too late! He had hoped to get here before Darunia left…but what did he expect? Link-goro had said that Darunia had left to help free the imprisoned Goron tribe being held in the temple found in the mountain. It had only been wishful thinking that Link would arrive to find Darunia back in the city.

Annoyingly, Link scuffed his feet on the dusty ground. He had brought his hopes up. Even if it was a stupid idea to, he had really wanted to find Darunia before the brash leader did something reckless.

Link knew that the Goron leader only wanted to protect his people, and that Link had not been here to help, but he still felt a pang of aggravation that Darunia had left already. It couldn't be helped though…

Wandering around the room, Link's eyes found a peculiar sight. The rug that sat in front of the large statue in the back of the room was pulled from one corner to sit under the statue. Link found it strange that it would be in such a place. Unless…

Approaching the statue, Link noticed that it was pulled forward from the wall. He grabbed the stone and pulled it away from said wall. Only, there really was no wall behind it. There was just a black hole, staring at Link, beckoning him to step through.

A hot air wafted through the opening behind the statue, and Link raised his arm to his face. No wonder the stone had been placed here. This heat suggested that there was something back there that would be uncomfortable even to the Gorons!

Braving the unknown, Link stepped into the darkness. His first reaction was to put both of his arms up to protect his face from the blaring heat. The deeper he walked through the dark tunnel, the hotter the air became. Soon enough, his undershirt worn under his tunic was plastered to his skin in a thick layer of sweat. The think trousers he wore were in the same condition, and the sweat was soaking through his clothes to wet his tunic.

Link wiped his hand across his face. He took off his hat to give Navi some air, and droplets of sweat fell onto his tunic. Navi sat up, looking worn and beaten.

"Link…it's too hot." She croaked. "We have to get out of here…" Link couldn't leave. He had to find out what was at the end of this tunnel…but he knew he wasn't very good dead. He could just picture himself now…lying facedown in the dirt, passed out from the heat, dehydration tugging at his body, slowly killing him off…

Snapping his head up, Link brushed away the remains of that vision from his mind. He turned around and sluggishly walked back to the Goron City. He just knew that there was something in here that could help him in his search for the sage…but what? And the heat was driving him back. There had to be a way around the heat. He just didn't know what it was yet.

* * *

Link kicked his foot into the door covering what he knew was the shop from his childhood years. The stone bumped and rattled as he rammed his boot into his, but he paid no mind. That is until the wall crumbled to the ground.

Link's eyes were wide with shock, and guilt. He just broke the city…how had he managed to break a stone door!? He didn't know, but underneath the fact that he would probably be in trouble for this, he thought it was pretty cool.

Link stepped inside the dim room, his eyes adjusting to the lack of light. Like every other part of the city, there weren't any Gorons in here. Link felt bad. Link-goro had said that everyone had been taking into the volcano and was being held captive. Thinking about it now, he was sure that the tunnel he tried going through before had led into the temple that Link-goro said was where the others were imprisioned.

Link spoke his thoughts to Navi, who just rolled her eyes. "It took you that long to figure it out?" She grumbled.

"Well excuse me. Had you managed to figure it out?" Link raised an eyebrow at his companion. Navi's cheeks reddened and she harrumphed, crossing her arms and turned away from Link. He took that as a 'no.'

As Link was wandering around the deserted shop, he felt something shift under his boot. Looking down, he saw that it was a pile of clothes. He picked up the bundle, unwrapping it from the mess that it was in.

It appeared to be a red tunic made for humans. That and white underclothes like the ones he was wearing now. Weird…why would the Gorons have human clothing lying around? And why did it smell suspiciously of the rocks that Gornons loved to eat? At that moment, Link didn't care. All he could think about was that he had found some clothes that weren't soaked in sweat, and he wanted to get into something dry.

"…so what do you think-Link!" Navi's eyes went wide before she covered them with her hands. "What do you think you're doing!?" Link smirked at the way Navi's cheeks blushed again, only this time from embarrassment. He had flipped the tunic and undershirt over his head, and replaced them with the new clothes that he had found.

Next, he changed his pants. He didn't bother with the small shorts he wore under his normal pants. He didn't want to give Navi a heart attack or anything…

Position his belt into place, Link sighed in relief. Fresh(ish) clothes did feel nice…he looked at the discarded green and white clothes he had left on the floor. He really should clean those…while the red was nice, he did enjoy the green of the forest.

Navi timidly asked if Link was almost done, and Link laughed a quick 'yes.' Her face bright red, Navi fluttered over to Link's side and gave him a nasty look. Link only laughed more as he knew she only half-meant it.

"…but we still need a way into the temple…" Link placed his hand over his chin, pondering what could be done. Navi copied his pose, partly mocking him and also trying to think of a way into the temple.

"Well, if it's located in the volcano, wouldn't it be just as hot anyway?" offered the fairy.

"That…makes sense." Discouraged, Link scuffed hid boot on the dusty ground. He felt rather cool at the moment. Which was strange, as the Goron City was always warm. He asked Navi if she felt any difference in temperature, and she shook her head. Wondering what it could be, Link stepped out into the large room of the city after placing his green tunic into his pouch.

He looked at one of the torches on the bottom floor, and stood next to it. It was lit, and the fire danced around the black and brown frame of the torch. Link leaned in very close to the fire. He didn't know exactly what he was doing, but it seemed like a good idea.

Normally Link would be feeling rather uncomfortable this close to the fire, but it felt almost cool. Stupidly, Link touched the fire with his finger. Immediately, he pulled back with a yelp. The fire was still hot to touch, but the air it gave off wasn't like that at all…

"Link…" Started Navi. "Why in the name of the golden goddesses would you stick your finger into a _fire_? Have you completely lost all common sense?"

Link smiled and said in a low voice, "I think I have…if I actually go through with my crazy plan."

"Oh no…Link, I fear for your safety. I don't have to protect you from monsters, I have to protect you from yourself…" Navi slapped her head into her head as she said this. Nothing could be worse about this kid. Brainless, awkward, clueless, and destined to save the world…

* * *

**A/N: Again, thank yor for reading! Anyone leaving a review will get a virtual hug from the character of their choice!**

**Ghirahim: What? o_e I never agreed to this.**

**Link: I never did either...**

**Me: Shut up, both of you. This is my story, therefore you are subject to my will.**

**Link: Technically we're still under copywrite to Nintendo. **

**Me: ...just go out there and gives some hugs to the nice reviewers.**


	18. A Demon and His Prey

**A/N: ****Okay, so to me, this chapter is amazing and stupid. I love it, yet I hate it. To me, it feels like not a whole lot is accomplished, but I still couldn't help but write it. It's just too good. Mainly because it's completely full of Ghirahim, buuuuuuut...that's besides the point. :3**

* * *

Ghirahim clucked his tongue as a blue-colored Tektite shuffled around to look at him with a look that suggested that it was deciding on whether or not to attack. Ghirahim flicked his arm in the direction of the spidery creature, making the decision for the monster. A dagger implanted in the eye of the monster seemed good enough for the demon, so he smirked and walked past the thing and ventured deeper into the temple under Lake Hylia. Water dripped from the ceiling and ran down the stone walls as Ghirahim slipped through doors and teleported into deeper parts of the temple when he could.

Magic worked differently here; he couldn't always get his powers to come to him in this place. There were other areas of Hyrule as well. Such as the graveyard in that village on the mountain, parts of the Lost Woods, and as time passed, the Temple of Time was becoming harder to use magic in.

Stepping into a relatively simple room, compared to the rest of the temple, Ghirahim called forth the helper that he had brought along. The shadow underneath Ghirahim rose up into a solid form of an almost-exact copy of the demon. The difference was that this thing was void of color save for its red eyes. Narrowing his own eyes, Ghirahim studied the shadow copy of himself. Finally, after what felt like minutes of silence, Ghirahim huffed out in a curious tone,

"…is that really what I look like?"

The shadow made no response, only stared back at the demon lord. Ghirahim sighed and ran his fingers through his silky hair. This creature-thing…while useful, it really could get on his nerves. Ghirahim didn't like to be ignored, but he knew that conversation with a shadow was utterly useless.

"You," he started, pausing for emphasis, "shall stay here, and wait for the boy to come. When he does show himself, I want you to signal me in anyway you can. Try to hold him off until I get here." Ordered the demon. The shadow continued to just stare back at Ghirahim, but the look in its eyes said that it understood the instructions.

"Good. Now I can move onto a more thrilling interpretation of my time. I feel the need to torment something, and that boy in my dungeon has been used beyond his purpose for me." Ghirahim ignored the thoughts that asked him why he didn't just dispose of the boy. He didn't like the answer that came to mind. The voice that said that he had come to treasure the small child. That was preposterous! How could he come to cherish anything? Even in the smallest amount?

Ghirahim looked around the room one last time before turning and leaving through the door behind him. As the door shut, he could hear strange hissing noised coming from the room where he left the shadow. He didn't know what the thing was doing, but he didn't really care that at point. It was true; he did want to torment some poor soul. He just needed to find one. But Ghirahim loved a good hunt so long as no one decided to intervene.

So where should he start looking, and who would be his victim?

* * *

Malon was walking through a small forest on the edge of the fields. She was singing a sweet tune to herself. It was the song that her mother had taught her when she was a little girl. Her own voice rang out through the group of trees and played back in her ears. The sound was lovely on this chilly morning. It was just the thing that the ranch girl needed to take her mind off of her missing father.

Malon's song stopped for the time being. The thought of her father made her cast her eyes at the ground, tears threatening to spring forth. Normally, Malon was tough as nails and nothing made her emotional like most women her age. But her father had left the ranch when things had gotten hard. He had never been one to do much work, but leaving like that…he didn't even suggest that Malon come with him. He just left her there in the hands of Ingo.

It wasn't that she had problems dealing with Ingo. She probably wouldn't have gone with her father anyway. But it would have been nice to know that the man actually cared for his daughter.

Malon was preparing to head back to the ranch. She had only needed to get away for a while. But a rustling sound behind her made her freeze for a moment. Someone was following her… The fields of Hyrule had become a much more dangerous place since the fall of the royal family. Not only had more monsters appeared, but also some of the people had moved out into the wilderness, becoming thieves and attacking any people who passed by.

Malon knew that she'd never be able to outrun anything with the large bag she had brought with her. But thankfully, she always carried something for times when she thought she might be in danger. She moved as if she were doing something completely natural. She wasn't the 'poor, defenseless farmgirl' that many people thought her to be. She would wait for the right chance to strike back.

* * *

Ghirahim cringed as his foot brushed against a bush sticking out of the ground. This small forest was beginning to become a pain to the demon lord. That noise was far too awkward to be made by the wind, but he hoped that the girl he was following hadn't noticed.

Thankfully, the girl hadn't put much thought into the sound as she only paused for a moment before bending down to retrieve something from her bag. Ghirahim started to creep forward a little more. He could smell the ranch on this girl. But surprisingly, it wasn't a bad scent. She smelled like the open air, small wildflowers, and rain. Ghirahim was wondering if he really should attack this woman or move onto someone else.

[No…I've come this far. And she doesn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary.] A slow smile danced its way onto the demon lord's lips. The girl wouldn't even know what was happening until too late. If she was too stupid to pay attention to the surrounding area for danger, then maybe this girl deserved what was coming, no matter how sweet and innocent she was.

Ghirahim was now standing a foot behind the girl. His arms slowly moved forward, ready to grab her at the sign of any movement. He breathed in her sweet scent once more before snapping his arms around her shoulders, locking her in his grasp.

Unexpectedly, the girl broke through Ghirahim's hold and swung her body around. Ghirahim heard a loud 'thunk' before his vision switched to pitch black. All of his senses left him as he felt his body fall to the earth and land in a heap of fabulous.

* * *

Malon brushed her red hair from her face as she silently celebrated the way she handled that. Looking down at her 'attacker,' Malon let out a sound of surprise.

The self-proclaimed Demon Lord was sprawled out on the forest floor. His back was on the ground with his head turned to the side, his white hair disheveled and cast out like a fan from his head. There was a rather nasty-looking bump growing on his forehead, and his nose looked like it might have broken. The small trickle of blood coming from his nose only further helped the possibility.

Quietly, Malon placed her frying pan back into her bag. It seemed a better weapon than she first thought when she decided to start taking it everywhere. After all, it was much easier to carry and conceal than one of the pitchforks from the barn.

Malon was afraid for a moment. She didn't know what the demon would do once he woke up. He appeared to be alive, as his chest was sluggishly rising and falling. But he would be angry with this. Angry indeed…

Malon looked closer at the demon lord. She had never noticed it before, but…he was quite handsome. If a little strange…

Even with the growing bump on his head and the blood on his face, Malon could pick out smooth, charming features. She found her cheeks going just a little warm, and that was surprising. No man had ever caught Malon's eye like that. Maybe it was the look of helplessness that was washing over his features (because he was helpless lying there on the ground) that made Malon want to stare at him. Normally he looked so cold. Now she could look at him without his sadistic temperament changing his face.

Before he could get the chance to wake up, Malon shook the thoughts of his handsome face from her mind and scurried to gather up her bag and leave for home. It would be unwise to stick around until he woke up and could directly hand out punishment. Malon just hoped that he wouldn't remember what had happened.

With the sky above a bright blue with wisps of clouds blowing in and out of view, Malon started to sing her song once more. She walked away from the scene where she had knocked Ghirahim unconscious and tried to forget the way his hair fell over his face, they way his features looked so calm…

Although it wasn't working that well, as the closer she got to home, the redder her cheeks became…even though she would never admit it.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for being patient in all things when it comes to me. :D I would very much appreciate reviews, and I know that the cast of this story would as well.**

**Ganondorf: Ungh...doesn't really matter to me. It's not like I'm getting any screen time anyway.**

**Linebeck: You think you have the right to complain? I'm not even in this story!**

**Ghirahim: I'd rather be torturing something than worrying about your reviews...**

**Navi: Reviews? Shouldn't you be confident in your skills enough that you don't need feedback?**

**Link: Couldn't have said it any better myself, Navi.**

**Me: You guys are no help... T_T I'm just trying to get by on some emotional payment, okay!? DX I don't make anything off of this except for the joy I get when I see new reviews! **


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